Public bandwidth is classified into IPv4 public bandwidth and IPv6 public bandwidth. You are separately charged for IPv4 and IPv6 public bandwidths. Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances can use different Internet resources to access the Internet. This topic describes the billing rules and billing methods for network usage of ECS instances that use static public IPv4 addresses, which are the public IPv4 addresses that are automatically assigned, to access the Internet. This topic also describes the network usage fees generated for the ECS instances and provides examples on how to calculate network usage fees.
Overview
This topic describes the billing rules for IPv4 network usage. For information about the billing rules for IPv6 network usage, see Billing rules.
An ECS instance can use a static public IP address, an elastic IP address (EIP), or a NAT gateway to access the Internet. The billable items and billing methods for network usage vary based on the resource used by the instance to access the Internet.
Static public IP address
Static public IP addresses are easy to purchase. If an ECS instance uses a static public IP address to access the Internet, you are charged for the outbound public bandwidth or outbound data transfers to the Internet. You are not charged for the static public IP address. If you select Assign Public IPv4 Address when you create an ECS instance, a static public IP address is automatically assigned to the instance. Then, the instance can use the static public IP address to communicate with the Internet. Network usage fees (fees for public bandwidth or Internet data transfers) generated for the instance are included in the Elastic Compute Service bills. For more information, see the Billing for network usage when a static public IP address is used for Internet access section of this topic.
EIP
EIPs are flexible and can be associated with various cloud resources for Internet access. You can separately purchase an EIP and associate the EIP with an ECS instance. Then, the ECS instance can use the EIP to access the Internet. Network usage fees generated for the instance are included in the Elastic IP Address bills. For more information, see Billing overview.
NAT gateway
A NAT gateway can provide Internet access for multiple ECS instances that reside in the same virtual private cloud (VPC). Separately purchase a NAT gateway and configure Source Network Address Translation (SNAT) entries for the gateway. Network usage fees generated for an ECS instance that uses the NAT gateway to access the Internet are included in the NAT Gateway bills. For more information, see Billing of Internet NAT gateways.
Billing for network usage when a static public IP address is used for Internet access
The following billing methods for network usage are supported when ECS instances use static public IP addresses to access the Internet: pay-by-bandwidth and pay-by-traffic.
Pay-by-bandwidth: If you use this billing method for network usage, you must specify a bandwidth value. You are charged for the specified bandwidth value based on a tiered metering model. Pay-by-bandwidth is suitable for scenarios that require stable bandwidth. If your ECS instance frequently communicates with external networks and requires long-term use of public bandwidth or the public bandwidth utilization of your ECS instance exceeds 10%, we recommend that you select pay-by-bandwidth.
Pay-by-traffic: If you use this billing method for network usage, you are charged for the actual data transfers out to the Internet and you must specify a maximum bandwidth value as the bandwidth limit for outbound data transfers. Pay-by-traffic is suitable for scenarios in which bandwidth requirements are highly variable. If the public bandwidth utilization of your ECS instance does not exceed 10% and occasional traffic spikes occur on the instance, we recommend that you select pay-by-traffic.
If you use the pay-by-traffic billing method for network usage, the maximum inbound and outbound bandwidths are used as the upper limits of bandwidths instead of guaranteed performance specifications. In scenarios in which demand exceeds available resources, the maximum bandwidths may not be reached. If you want guaranteed bandwidths for your ECS instances, use the pay-by-bandwidth billing method for network usage.
BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro lines in the China (Hong Kong) region do not support the pay-by-traffic billing method for network usage.
Select a billing method for network usage based on your business requirements.
Pay-by-bandwidth
Metering rule: You are charged for a specific amount of bandwidth (in Mbit/s) based on a tiered metering model. Pay-by-bandwidth network usage fees are included in ECS instance fees. Use the following formula to calculate pay-by-bandwidth network usage fees: Unit price of public bandwidth × Bandwidth value × Billing duration. The pricing of public bandwidth varies based on the region. For information about the pricing of public bandwidth, go to the Pricing tab of the Elastic Compute Service product page.
Payment method:: Pay-by-bandwidth network usage supports the subscription and pay-as-you-go payment methods.
Subscription: You must pay the full amount of the bandwidth upfront when you purchase ECS instances. This payment method is used for subscription ECS instances.
Pay-as-you-go: You can pay for network usage after you access the Internet. Network usage fees are automatically deducted from the balance of your Alibaba Cloud account. You are billed in 1-second increments, and bills are generated on the hour every hour. This payment method is used for pay-as-you-go or preemptible ECS instances.
Billing examples:
The following table describes how you are charged for network usage. In the examples, ECS instances in the China (Hangzhou) region are used.
The unit prices are provided only for reference. The prices on the Pricing tab of the Elastic Compute Service product page shall prevail.
Payment method for network usage | Billing method for network usage | Billing condition | Network usage fee (USD) |
Subscription (subscription instances) | Pay-by-bandwidth |
| The fee is calculated by using the following formula: Fee = Unit price of public bandwidth × Subscription duration. In this example, the fee is USD 6.80: USD 6.80 × 1 = USD 6.80. |
|
| ||
Pay-as-you-go (pay-as-you-go or preemptible instances) | Pay-by-bandwidth |
| The fee is calculated by using the following formula: Fee = Unit price of public bandwidth × Usage duration. In this example, the fee is USD 8.64: USD 0.012 × (24 × 30) = USD 8.64. |
|
|
Pay-by-traffic
Metering rule: You are charged per GB of traffic. If the amount of data transferred to the Internet is less than 1 GB, you are charged based on the actual amount of transferred data. Pay-by-traffic network usage fees are separately charged from ECS instance fees. You can use the following formula to calculate pay-by-traffic network usage fees: Unit price of Internet data transfers × Amount of data transferred to the Internet. The pricing of data transfers to the Internet varies based on the region. For information about the pricing of data transfers to the Internet, go to the Pricing tab of the Elastic Compute Service product page.
Payment method: Pay-by-traffic network usage supports only the pay-as-you-go payment method. Pay-as-you-go: You can pay for network usage after you access the Internet. Network usage fees are automatically deducted from the balance of your Alibaba Cloud account. You are billed in 1-second increments, and bills are generated on the hour every hour. You can use this payment method for subscription, pay-as-you-go, and preemptible instances.
Billing example:
The following table describes how you are charged for network usage. In the examples, ECS instances in the China (Hangzhou) region are used.
The unit prices are provided only for reference. The prices on the Pricing tab of the Elastic Compute Service product page shall prevail.
Payment method for network usage | Billing method for network usage | Billing condition | Network usage fee (USD) |
Pay-as-you-go (regardless of the instance billing method) | Pay-by-traffic |
| The fee is calculated by using the following formula: Fee = Unit price of Internet data transfers × Amount of data transferred to the Internet. In this example, the fee is USD 0.123 = USD 0.123 × 1. |
Cost reduction:
To reduce pay-by-traffic network usage fees, you can purchase data transfer plans or activate Cloud Data Transfer (CDT).
Data transfer plans are easy to use and cost-effective. A data transfer plan immediately takes effect after you purchase the plan. After a data transfer plan takes effect, the plan automatically offsets fees for data transfer that is initiated by specific pay-as-you-go cloud resources until the data transfer plan is exhausted or expires.
CDT provides an efficient and cost-effective method for managing network usage costs. CDT supports flexible billing, free data transfer quotas, tiered pricing, and centralized billing for multiple Alibaba Cloud services. Compared with the pay-by-traffic billing method for network usage, the CDT billing method provides specific discounts. For more information, see What is CDT?
If you upgrade to billing in CDT, network usage fees (fees for Internet data transfers) are counted into Cloud Data Transfer bills instead of Elastic Compute Service bills.
Activate CDT
Perform the following operations to upgrade to billing in CDT and use CDT to bill Internet data transfers of ECS instances that use static public IP addresses and the pay-by-traffic billing method for network usage.
Starting 00:00:00 on December 12, 2024, you can use CDT without the need to activate CDT.
After you activate CDT, you receive a free quota of 200 GB Internet data transfers per month. You can use 180 GB of the free quota only in regions outside the Chinese mainland. You can use the remaining 20 GB in regions inside and outside the Chinese mainland.
Activate CDT and upgrade to billing in CDT in the CDT console. For more information, see Getting Started.
If Upgraded is displayed in the Upgrade Status column corresponding to ECS, the pay-by-traffic billing method for network usage of ECS instances that use static public IP addresses is upgraded to billing in CDT.
Data transfer plans cannot offset pay-by-bandwidth network usage fees of pay-as-you-go or preemptible ECS instances that use static public IP addresses.
If you have data transfer plans and your billing method for network usage is upgraded to billing in CDT, you can use the data transfer plans to offset only Internet data transfers that fall into Tier 1 (0 to 10 TB) of CDT. The free quota of Internet data transfers provided by CDT is not affected.
View network usage bills of ECS instances that use static public IP addresses
Go to the Expenses and Costs console to view the network usage bills and billing details of your ECS instances that use static public IP addresses.
Perform the following steps:
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
Click a tab based on your business requirements and set the Product Name or Product parameter to Elastic Compute Service to view the network usage bills.
NoteIf you upgraded to billing in CDT, set the Product Name or Product parameter to Cloud Data Transfer to search for bills.
Change the billing method for network usage of an ECS instance that uses a static public IP address
You can change the billing method for network usage of an ECS instance that uses a static public IP address from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic or vice versa.
For information about how to change the billing method for network usage of a subscription, pay-as-you-go, or preemptible ECS instance that uses a static public IP address from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic, see the Change from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic section of the "Change the billing method for network usage of an ECS instance that uses a static public IP address" topic.
For information about how to change the billing method for network usage of a subscription, pay-as-you-go, or preemptible ECS instance that uses a static public IP address from pay-by-traffic to pay-by-bandwidth, see the Change from pay-by-traffic to pay-by-bandwidth section of the "Change the billing method for network usage of an ECS instance that uses a static public IP address" topic.
Unsubscribe from public bandwidth for an ECS instance that uses a static public IP address
If you no longer require the public bandwidth of an ECS instance that uses a static public IP address, change the public bandwidth value of the instance to 0 Mbit/s to release the static public IP address and unsubscribe from the public bandwidth. This method of unsubscribing from public bandwidth applies to ECS instances that use the pay-by-bandwidth and pay-by-traffic billing methods for network usage. For more information, see Modify the public bandwidth configurations of an instance associated with an auto-assigned public IP address.
When you unsubscribe from the public bandwidth of a subscription instance that uses a static public IP address and the pay-by-bandwidth billing method for network usage, you receive a refund. The refund amount is the paid amount minus the consumed amount. The paid amount is the actual amount that you paid for the public bandwidth of the instance, excluding the amount that is deducted by using coupons or vouchers. For information about how to calculate the refund amount, see Rules for unsubscribing from resources.
Impacts of overdue payments on ECS instances that use static public IP addresses
If you do not have sufficient funds in your Alibaba Cloud account, including the account balance, vouchers, and credits, to complete a payment, the payment becomes overdue.
After a payment becomes overdue in your Alibaba Cloud account, you can continue using the existing subscription resources of subscription ECS instances but you cannot perform operations that generate fees on subscription ECS instances, such as purchasing resources, upgrading instance configurations, and renewing instances. After a payment becomes overdue in your Alibaba Cloud account, pay-as-you-go ECS instances retain static public IP addresses within 15 days. If you enabled default economical mode, the static public IP addresses of pay-as-you-go ECS instances may be recycled when the instances are automatically stopped due to the overdue payment. After the instances are reactivated, the static public IP addresses of the instances may change. After the 15-day grace period, the static public IP addresses of pay-as-you-go ECS instances are automatically released.
If your account has overdue payments, pay-as-you-go ECS instances may be stopped. To prevent overdue payments from affecting your services, we recommend that you settle the overdue payments at the earliest opportunity. Log on to the Expenses and Costs console, click Pay Now in the upper part of the Account Overview page, and then follow the on-screen instructions to settle the overdue payments.