Backup storage billing (beyond free quota)
PolarDB backup and recovery features are free, but backup files consume storage space. PolarDB provides a free quota for backup storage, and storage exceeding this quota is billed pay-as-you-go. To quickly understand the billing rules, refer to the pricing for your billing type in the navigation pane on the right. Additionally, PolarDB offers Storage Capacity Units to reduce your costs.
Free quota
PolarDB provides a free quota for backup storage. When your backup storage usage exceeds the free quota, billing rules vary by product edition and storage class.
Enterprise edition
When your backup storage usage exceeds the free quota, PolarDB charges for same-region backups based on the size and retention period of your backup files (data and logs). For cross-region backups, PolarDB also charges for the network traffic generated.
Backup type | Free quota |
level-1 backup | The formula for the free quota varies by the Storage Payment Method. The formulas are as follows:
|
level-2 backup | None |
log backup | 100 GB |
To view your database storage usage, go to the PolarDB console. On the Basic Information page of your cluster, find the Database Storage Usage in the Distributed Storage section.
Standard edition
Standard Edition offers multiple storage classes. The supported backup types vary by storage class.
When your backup storage usage exceeds the free quota, PolarDB charges for same-region backups based on the size and retention period of your backup files (data and logs). For cross-region backups, PolarDB also charges for the network traffic generated.
Storage class | Backup type | Free quota |
ESSD (PL0, PL1, PL2, PL3, and AutoPL) | data backup | Storage capacity × 50% |
log backup | 100 GB | |
PSL4/PSL5 | level-1 backup | The formula for the free quota varies by the Storage Payment Method. The formulas are as follows:
|
level-2 backup | None | |
log backup | 100 GB |
To view your database storage usage, go to the PolarDB console. On the Basic Information page of your cluster, find the Database Storage Usage in the Distributed Storage section.
Pricing
Enterprise Edition
Level-1 backup
Storage type | Chinese mainland | Other regions | Hourly cost formula | |
PSL5 | Dual-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster enabled) | 0.003 CNY/GB/hour | 0.0042 CNY/GB/hour | Hourly cost = (Total size of Level-1 backup - free quota) × Hourly price |
Dual-availability zone (storage and compute hot-standby clusters enabled) | ||||
Triple-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster and Logger node enabled) | ||||
Single-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster disabled) | ||||
PSL4 | Dual-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster enabled) | 0.002 CNY/GB/hour | 0.0028 CNY/GB/hour | |
Dual-availability zone (storage and compute hot-standby clusters enabled) | ||||
Triple-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster and Logger node enabled) | ||||
Single-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster disabled) | ||||
Example: For a PSL5 storage type in the Chinese mainland, if the total size of Level-1 backups (snapshots) is 700 GB and the database storage usage is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: [700 GB - (1,000 GB × 50%)] × 0.003 CNY/GB/hour = 0.6 CNY/hour.
Level-2 backup and log backup
Secondary backups and log backups support same-region backup and cross-region backup. For same-region backups, PolarDB charges a fee based on the storage size and retention period of backup files (data and logs). For cross-region backups, PolarDB charges a fee based on the storage size and retention period of backup files (data and logs), and the network traffic generated by cross-region backups.
Intra-region backup
Backup type
Chinese mainland
Other regions
Hourly cost formula
Level-2 backup
0.00021 CNY/GB/hour
0.000294 CNY/GB/hour
Hourly cost = Total size of Level-2 backup × Hourly price
log backup
Hourly cost = (Total size of log backup - 100 GB) × Hourly price
Example 1: In the Chinese mainland, if the total size of Level-2 backups is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: 1,000 GB × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour = 0.21 CNY/hour.
Example 2: In the Chinese mainland, if the total size of log backups is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: (1,000 GB - 100 GB) × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour = 0.189 CNY/hour.
Cross-region backup
Backup type
Billable item
Chinese mainland
Other regions
Hourly cost formula
Level-2 backup
backup storage
0.00021 CNY/GB/hour
0.000294 CNY/GB/hour
Hourly cost = Total size of Level-2 backup × Hourly price + Cross-region network traffic price
network traffic
For information about network traffic fees for cross-region backups, see Network Fees.
log backup
backup storage
0.00021 CNY/GB/hour
0.000294 CNY/GB/hour
Hourly cost = (Total size of log backup - 100 GB) × Hourly price + Cross-region network traffic price
network traffic
For information about network traffic fees for cross-region backups, see Network Fees.
Example 1: For a cross-region backup between regions in the Chinese mainland, if the total size of Level-2 backups is 1,000 GB and the network traffic consumed by the backup transfer is 500 MB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: 1,000 GB × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour + (500 MB/1,024) × 0.5 CNY/GB = 0.4541 CNY/hour.
Example 2: For a cross-region backup between regions in the Chinese mainland, if the total size of log backups is 1,000 GB and the network traffic consumed by the backup transfer is 500 MB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: (1,000 GB - 100 GB) × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour + (500 MB/1,024) × 0.5 CNY/GB = 0.4331 CNY/hour.
NoteCross-region backups are billed daily. The prices in this document are converted to hourly rates for your reference.
Charges for cross-region backups are itemized under data disaster recovery on your bill.
Standard Edition
Standard Edition supports multiple storage types. The available backup types vary by storage type.
ESSD (PL0, PL1, PL2, PL3, and AutoPL)
Backup type | Chinese mainland | Other regions | Hourly cost formula |
Level-1 backup | 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour | 0.000294 CNY/GB/hour | Hourly cost = (Total size of Level-1 backup - free quota) × Hourly price |
log backup | 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour | 0.000294 CNY/GB/hour | Hourly cost = (Total size of Log Backup - 100 GB) × Hourly price |
Example 1: In the Chinese mainland, if the total size of Level-1 backup is 700 GB and the database storage usage is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: [700 GB - (1,000 GB × 50%)] × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour = 0.042 CNY/hour.
Example 2: In the Chinese mainland, if the total size of log backups is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: (1,000 GB - 100 GB) × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour = 0.189 CNY/hour.
PSL4/PSL5
Level-1 backup
Storage type | Chinese mainland | Other regions | Hourly cost formula | |
PSL5 | Dual-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster enabled) | 0.003 CNY/GB/hour | 0.0042 CNY/GB/hour | Hourly cost = (Total size of Level-1 backup - free quota) × Hourly price |
Dual-availability zone (storage and compute hot-standby clusters enabled) | ||||
Triple-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster and Logger node enabled) | ||||
Single-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster disabled) | ||||
PSL4 | Dual-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster enabled) | 0.002 CNY/GB/hour | 0.0028 CNY/GB/hour | |
Dual-availability zone (storage and compute hot-standby clusters enabled) | ||||
Triple-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster and Logger node enabled) | ||||
Single-availability zone (storage hot-standby cluster disabled) | ||||
Example: For a PSL5 storage type in the Chinese mainland, if the total size of Level-1 backups (snapshots) is 700 GB and the database storage usage is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: [700 GB - (1,000 GB × 50%)] × 0.003 CNY/GB/hour = 0.6 CNY/hour.
Level-2 backup and log backup
Secondary backups and log backups support same-region backup and cross-region backup. For same-region backups, PolarDB charges a fee based on the storage size and retention period of backup files (data and logs). For cross-region backups, PolarDB charges a fee based on the storage size and retention period of backup files (data and logs), and the network traffic generated by cross-region backups.
Intra-region backup
Backup type
Chinese mainland
Other regions
Hourly cost formula
Level-2 backup
0.00021 CNY/GB/hour
0.000294 CNY/GB/hour
Hourly cost = Total size of Level-2 backup × Hourly price
log backup
Hourly cost = (Total size of log backup - 100 GB) × Hourly price
Example 1: In the Chinese mainland, if the total size of Level-2 backups is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: 1,000 GB × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour = 0.21 CNY/hour.
Example 2: In the Chinese mainland, if the total size of log backups is 1,000 GB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: (1,000 GB - 100 GB) × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour = 0.189 CNY/hour.
Cross-region backup
Backup type
Billable item
Chinese mainland
Other regions
Hourly cost formula
Level-2 backup
backup storage
0.00021 CNY/GB/hour
0.000294 CNY/GB/hour
Hourly cost = Total size of Level-2 backup × Hourly price + Cross-region network traffic price
network traffic
For information about network traffic fees for cross-region backups, see Network Fees.
log backup
backup storage
0.00021 CNY/GB/hour
0.000294 CNY/GB/hour
Hourly cost = (Total size of log backup - 100 GB) × Hourly price + Cross-region network traffic price
network traffic
For information about network traffic fees for cross-region backups, see Network Fees.
Example 1: For a cross-region backup between regions in the Chinese mainland, if the total size of Level-2 backups is 1,000 GB and the network traffic consumed by the backup transfer is 500 MB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: 1,000 GB × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour + (500 MB/1,024) × 0.5 CNY/GB = 0.4541 CNY/hour.
Example 2: For a cross-region backup between regions in the Chinese mainland, if the total size of log backups is 1,000 GB and the network traffic consumed by the backup transfer is 500 MB, the hourly cost is calculated as follows: (1,000 GB - 100 GB) × 0.00021 CNY/GB/hour + (500 MB/1,024) × 0.5 CNY/GB = 0.4331 CNY/hour.
NoteCross-region backups are billed daily. The prices in this document are converted to hourly rates for your reference.
Charges for cross-region backups are itemized under data disaster recovery on your bill.
Backup storage usage
Level-1 and data backup
PSL4/PSL5
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Log on to the PolarDB console.
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Choose your cluster.
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Navigate to .
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The Physical Size of Level-1 Backups value of the PolarDB cluster is the sum of the dedicated physical storage space occupied by all level-1 backup sets, as shown in part ①. The actual storage space occupied by level-1 backup files is based on this value.
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The Logical Size of Backups value of the PolarDB cluster indicates the logical size of a backup set, as shown in part ②. This size is not billed.
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The data of the PolarDB cluster and multiple level-1 backup files (snapshots) can be stored in the same physical data block that is billed only once.
For more information about data backup, see FAQ.
ESSD (PL0, PL1, PL2, PL3, and AutoPL)
youcanbefore toward PolarDBconsole page toviewdata backupphysicalspacesize. such as under shown:
-
PolarDBclusterdata backupphysicalspacesize(on diagram in ①shown): that is all data backupexclusive physicalspaceof and. at statisticsdatabackup storage actual make usagetime , this value benchmarkcompute.
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PolarDBclusterbackuplogicalsize(on diagram in ②shown): singlebackup set logicalsize, not included in billing.
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PolarDBcluster dataand multipledata backup(snapshot)will reuse the same physicaldatablock , at only when billingwill compute once.
more aboutbackup issue, For more information, seeFAQ.
Level-2 backup
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Log on to the PolarDB console.
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Choose your cluster.
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Navigate to . The total size of level-2 backup files is the sum of the size of each level-2 backup file.
Log backup
The following figure shows that the total size of log backup files is the sum of the size of each log backup file.
Storage plans
A storage plan can be used to offset storage usage for level-1 backup, data backup, level-2 backup, and log backup.
Storage plans can also be used to offset the usage of cluster storage and cold data archiving.
Pricing
The price of a storage plan varies based on the subscription duration and capacity. A larger capacity and a longer subscription duration provide greater savings. For detailed pricing, see the price comparison table.
PolarDB has launched a resource plan calculator. You can estimate the required storage capacity based on your business needs and usage duration to obtain recommendations on storage plan specifications.
Offset rules
A storage plan provides a fixed hourly credit to offset storage usage for level-1 backup, data backup, level-2 backup, and log backup. For example, if you purchase a 100 GB storage plan, you receive a fixed credit of 100 GB per hour to offset the relevant storage usage.
Enterprise Edition
Backup type | Offset factor | Offset amount per 1 GB of storage plan | |||
The Chinese mainland | Hong Kong (China) and regions outside China | The Chinese mainland | Hong Kong (China) and regions outside China | ||
Level-1 backup | PSL5 | 0.617 | 1/0.617=1.62 GB | ||
PSL4 | 0.41 | 1/0.41=2.44 GB | |||
Level-2 backup | 0.043 | 0.054 | 1/0.043=23.26 GB | 1/0.054=18.52 GB | |
Log backup | |||||
Level-2 backups include backup sets that you choose to retain long-term in the cluster recycle bin.
Cross-region backups in level-2 backups cannot be offset.
Standard Edition
The Standard Edition supports multiple storage classes, and the supported backup types vary by storage class.
Enhanced SSDs (ESSDs): PL0, PL1, PL2, PL3, and AutoPL
Backup type | Offset factor | Offset amount per 1 GB of storage plan | ||
The Chinese mainland | Hong Kong (China) and regions outside China | The Chinese mainland | Hong Kong (China) and regions outside China | |
Data backup | 0.043 | 0.054 | 1/0.043=23.26 GB | 1/0.054=18.52 GB |
Log backup | ||||
Level-2 backups include backup sets that you choose to retain long-term in the cluster recycle bin.
Cross-region backups in level-2 backups cannot be offset.
PSL4/PSL5
Backup type | Offset factor | Offset amount per 1 GB of storage plan | |||
The Chinese mainland | Hong Kong (China) and regions outside China | The Chinese mainland | Hong Kong (China) and regions outside China | ||
Level-1 backup | PSL5 | 0.617 | 1/0.617=1.62 GB | ||
PSL4 | 0.41 | 1/0.41=2.44 GB | |||
Level-2 backup | 0.043 | 0.054 | 1/0.043=23.26 GB | 1/0.054=18.52 GB | |
Log backup | |||||
Level-2 backups include backup sets that you choose to retain long-term in the cluster recycle bin.
Cross-region backups in level-2 backups cannot be offset.
Example: Use a storage plan to offset backup storage usage that exceeds the free quota
If your Alibaba Cloud account has a 50 GB storage plan and the following PolarDB clusters:
Cluster Name | Series | Hot Standby Cluster Enabled | Billing Method (Compute Billing Method) | Storage class | Storage Billing Method | Database Storage Usage | Level-1 backup/Data backup | Level-2 backup | Log backup |
A | Cluster Edition | Enable | subscription | PSL5 | subscription | 2.76 GB (Subscription capacity: 50.00 GB) | 322.00 MB (Free quota: approx. 25 GB) | 2.45 GB | 70 GB |
C | Cluster Edition | Shut down | pay-as-you-go | PSL5 | Pay-as-you-go | 100 GB | 3.21 GB (Free quota: approx. 50 GB) | 2.38 GB | 219 GB |
E | Standard Edition | No | Subscription | PL1 ESSD | Subscription | 2.38 GB (Subscription capacity: 100.00 GB) | 480.00 MB (Free quota: approx. 50 GB) | Not applicable | 79 GB |
The following list describes how the 50 GB storage plan is used for offset:
Storage plans offset usage based on the offset order. For more information, see Offset Order.
Enterprise Edition level-1 backup usage (exceeds free quota)
The level-1 backup usage of Cluster A does not exceed the free quota.
The level-1 backup usage of Cluster C does not exceed the free quota.
Enterprise Edition level-2 backup usage
The deducted amount for the level-2 backup of Cluster A is 2.45 GB × 0.043 (the deduction factor), which is 0.10535 GB. The Remaining Amount After Deduction for the storage plan is 49.89465 GB (50 GB - 0.10535 GB).
The amount deducted for the level-2 backup of Cluster C is 0.10234 GB (2.38 GB × 0.043, the deduction factor), and the Remaining Amount After Deduction in the storage plan is 49.79231 GB (49.89465 GB - 0.10234 GB).
Enterprise Edition log backup usage (exceeds free quota)
The log backup usage of Cluster A does not exceed the free quota.
The deduction amount for Cluster C's log backup is 119 GB (219 GB − 100 GB free quota) × 0.043 (deduction factor), resulting in a total deduction of 5.117 GB. The storage plan Remaining Amount After Deduction is 44.67531 GB (49.79231 GB − 5.117 GB).
Standard Edition data backup usage (exceeds free quota)
The data backup usage of Cluster E does not exceed the free quota.
Standard Edition log backup usage (exceeds free quota)
The log backup usage of Cluster E does not exceed the free quota.
To sum up, a total of 5.32469 GB (0.10535 GB + 0.10234 GB + 5.117 GB) of the storage plan is used to offset the backup storage usage beyond the free quota of the clusters. The storage plan Remaining Amount After Offset is 44.67531 GB (50 GB - 5.32469 GB).
This example explains only how to offset the storage usage for level-1 backups/data backups, level-2 backups, and log backups of a PolarDB cluster. Other types of storage usage, such as the cluster storage usage and cold data archiving storage usage, are not covered in this example.
More information
For more details, see Storage plans.