Pay-as-you-go ApsaraMQ for Kafka instances are billed based on how long the instance exists, not on message throughput or consumer activity. When you create a pay-as-you-go instance, the system immediately allocates dedicated resources such as brokers and storage. These resources remain reserved for you regardless of whether you send or consume any messages.
The billing formula is:
Total fees = Price of the instance x Service time
Charges start accruing from the moment you create the instance and continue until you release it.
How to stop charges
Release the instance. Stopping producers and consumers, or deleting topics, does not stop billing because the underlying broker and storage resources are still allocated to you.
After you release the instance, no new charges accrue.
Common questions
Can I pause billing without releasing the instance?
No. As long as the instance exists, you are charged. There is no way to pause or suspend billing for a pay-as-you-go instance.