If an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance is in a state in which the instance cannot provide services, such as the Stopped state, you must start the instance before you can use it. This topic describes how to start an instance in the ECS console.
Prerequisites
The instance that you want to start meets one of the following requirements:
The instance is in the Stopped state.
The instance is a pay-as-you-go instance that is in the Expired state due to an overdue payment. The overdue payment is settled, but the instance cannot be automatically reactivated.
Background information
If you settle an overdue payment that caused a pay-as-you-go instance to stop and the instance cannot be automatically reactivated, the instance will be released. You must manually reactivate the instance at the earliest opportunity to prevent the instance from being released and affecting your business. For more information, see Pay-as-you-go.
When you complete the overdue payment for a pay-as-you-go instance, the instance is automatically reactivated. If the instance is not automatically reactivated, wait for 10 minutes and then check whether the instance is reactivated and enters the Running state. If the instance cannot be automatically reactivated, manually reactivate the instance at the earliest opportunity.
After you reactivate a pay-as-you-go instance that was stopped due to an overdue payment, the instance starts running and resumes pay-as-you-go billing. Release the instances that are no longer needed to prevent unnecessary costs.
Start an instance by using the ECS console
Log on to the ECS console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the top navigation bar, select the region and resource group to which the resource belongs.
Start an instance.
To start a single instance, find the instance and click Start in the Actions column.
Select one or more instances that you want to start and click Start in the lower part of the Instances page.
In the Start Instance message, confirm the instance information and click OK.
After you start the instances, the status of the instances changes to Starting and then to Running. When the instances enter the Running state, the instance startup process is complete.
ImportantIf you cannot start an instance, the instance type may be understocked. In this case, you can change the instance type. For more information, see Change the instance type of a pay-as-you-go instance.
If you cannot start the instance after you change the instance type, use the instance health diagnostics feature to troubleshoot the issue.