Create an instance with Quick Purchase or Quick Launch-Elastic Compute Service(ECS)-阿里云帮助中心

The Quick Purchase method offers pre-packaged instance types in four main configurations. You can create a ECS instance in minutes. This simplified process makes configuration faster and easier. This topic describes how to create an ECS instance by using Quick Purchase.

Important

If you are new to ECS and want to quickly create and use an ECS instance, see Create a Windows instance and build an IIS web server. This simple example demonstrates the process. After you understand the basics of ECS, use this topic to learn more about the configuration details of creating an instance with Quick Purchase.

Prerequisites

You have registered an Alibaba Cloud account for the China site and completed account verification. For more information, see Alibaba Cloud account registration process.
When you create pay-as-you-go ECS resources, the total value of your Alibaba Cloud account balance (including cash and vouchers) must be at least CNY 100.00. For information about how to top up your account, see Online top-up.

Default configurations

When you use Quick Purchase to create an ECS instance, the system automatically configures some parameters to speed up the setup process. The following table describes the default settings.

Parameter	Default configuration
Zone	The system randomly assigns a zone. You cannot change the zone.
Network type	The default network type is VPC. You cannot change the network type. For more information, see Default VPCs and vSwitches.
Security group	The system uses a default security group. You can change the security group after the instance is created. For more information, see Associate a security group with an instance.
vSwitch	The system uses a default vSwitch. For more information, see Default VPCs and vSwitches.
Password	A password is not set. You must reset it after you create the instance. For more information, see Reset the logon password of an instance.
Instance name	The system generates an instance name. You can change the name after you create the instance.

Procedure

Go to the ECS instance buy page.
On the instance creation page, click the Quick Purchase tab in the upper-left corner.

Configure the following parameters for the ECS instance.

Parameter	Description	Example
Instance Type	An instance type defines the CPU model, number of vCPUs, and memory size. Instance types are offered in four packages: Basic, Standard, Professional, and Enhanced.	Basic configuration (2 vCPU, 2 GiB)
Images	An image contains the information required to run an instance. Quick Purchase supports Alibaba Cloud Linux, CentOS, Windows Server, and Ubuntu. The Quick Purchase method does not support custom image or Marketplace image. To use more image options, use the Custom Purchase method. After you create an instance, you can change its operating system to use a different image.	Alibaba Cloud Linux 3.2104 LTS 64-bit
Pre-installed applications	You can install applications based on the selected operating system. It takes 3 to 5 minutes to install the applications after the instance starts.	Select as needed.
Billing Method	Subscription: You pay for resources before you use them. This billing method is suitable for long-term, stable workloads, such as web services. Pay-as-you-go: You pay for resources after you use them. This billing method is suitable for workloads that have fluctuating demand, such as for temporary scaling, short-term testing, and scientific computing. Important To avoid further charges, release pay-as-you-go instances that you no longer need.	Subscription
Region	Select a region close to your geographic location to reduce network latency. You cannot change the region and zone after you create the instance. For more information, see Regions and zones.	China (Hangzhou)
Public IP Address	You must assign a public IP address to the instance if it needs to access the internet.	Select Assign Public IPv4 Address.
Bandwidth Billing Method	Pay-by-bandwidth: You pay a fixed rate for a specified amount of bandwidth. The outbound bandwidth cannot exceed the specified value. This method is suitable for workloads with stable bandwidth requirements. Pay-by-traffic: You are charged for the actual amount of data that you transfer. This method is suitable for workloads that have significant fluctuations in network traffic. To prevent high costs, you can specify a peak bandwidth for outbound traffic. (Optional) Select Upgrade to CDT Billing. Cloud Data Transfer (CDT) provides a cost-effective solution for managing public bandwidth costs by offering flexible billing, free data transfer quotas, tiered pricing, and unified billing across multiple products. It offers discounts compared to the pay-by-traffic billing method. For more information, see What is Cloud Data Transfer (CDT)? Important Starting 00:00:00 on December 12, 2024, you can use CDT without prior activation. After you enable CDT for cloud services, all existing and new pay-by-data-transfer instances are billed by CDT. Pay-by-bandwidth instances remain billed by the original Alibaba Cloud services. Query CDT bills on the Bill Details page in the Expenses and Costs console. After you activate CDT, you receive 220 GB of free Internet data transfers per month — 20 GB for regions in the Chinese mainland and 200 GB only for regions outside the Chinese mainland.	Pay-by-bandwidth
Bandwidth/Peak bandwidth	When you select the Bandwidth for Pay-by-bandwidth or the Maximum Bandwidth for Pay-by-traffic, the actual outbound bandwidth will not exceed the specified bandwidth value/peak bandwidth.	1 Mbps
Quantity	The number of instances to create.	1
Duration	The subscription duration. When the Billing Method is set to Subscription, you must configure this parameter.	1 Month
Auto-renewal	Auto-renewal helps prevent service disruptions from an expired subscription and reduces the need for manual renewal. You can select this parameter only when the Billing Method is Subscription.	Select Enable Auto-renewal.

In the Configuration Summary panel on the right, confirm the instance configurations. Read the Product Terms of Service and Service Level Agreement at the bottom of the page. Then, click Confirm Order.

Next steps

You cannot set logon credentials when using the Quick Purchase method. After you create the instance, you must reset its password in the ECS console. For more information, see Reset the logon password of an instance.