ApsaraMQ for Kafka uses service-based billing, where charges are based on the peak traffic your instance processes rather than fixed hardware allocation.
How service-based billing differs from hardware-based billing
Cloud services typically follow one of two billing approaches:
| Billing approach | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware-based | Charges a fixed rate for the hardware resources allocated to your instance, regardless of actual traffic. | Simple to calculate, but does not reflect actual usage. |
| Service-based | Charges based on actual service usage. | Accurately reflects real consumption. Charges scale with usage. |
In the hardware-based billing mode, it is difficult to bill an instance based on actual service usage. ApsaraMQ for Kafka adopts service-based billing so that your instance is billed based on actual service usage.
What's next
To understand billable items and pricing details, see the billing documentation for your instance edition.