Promo Center

50% off for new user

Direct Mail-46% off

NaNDayNaN:NaN:NaN
Learn More
This topic was translated by AI and is currently in queue for revision by our editors. Alibaba Cloud does not guarantee the accuracy of AI-translated content. Request expedited revision

Preemptible instance

Updated at: 2025-02-18 03:23

Preemptible instances use a postpaid model where the market price fluctuates in real-time based on supply and demand, potentially saving up to 90% compared to pay-as-you-go instances.

Billable items

Billable items for preemptible instances include only the instance type, and do not cover image, disk, public bandwidth (fixed bandwidth), snapshot, and other resources.

Billing rules

Billing formula

  • Billing duration: The time from the successful creation to the release of the preemptible instance.

  • Market price: The cost of the instance type, excluding the price of resources such as disk and public bandwidth.

  • Bid price: The maximum price you are willing to pay for the selected preemptible instance.

Note

The bid price is not the final billing price of the instance. Billing is based on the market price at the time of use.

Instance usage duration setting

Set instance usage for 1 hour

No determined usage duration

Instance usage duration setting

Set instance usage for 1 hour

No determined usage duration

Billing diagram

Explanation

Alibaba Cloud guarantees that the instance will not be automatically released within 1 hour of creation. After 1 hour, the system compares the bid price with the market price in real-time and checks the resource inventory to determine whether to retain or revoke the instance.

There is no guaranteed runtime duration for the instance after creation. The system immediately compares the bid price with the market price in real-time and checks the resource inventory to determine whether to retain or revoke the instance.

Instance billing price

  • Billing duration ≤ 1 hour: Market price at the time of transaction

  • Billing duration > 1 hour: Real-time market prices in different periods

Real-time market prices in different periods

Billing formula

  • Billing duration ≤ 1 hour: Market price at the time of transaction × Billing duration

  • Billing duration > 1 hour: Market price at the time of transaction × 1 hour + ΣReal-time market prices in different periods × Billing duration of real-time market prices in different periods

ΣReal-time market prices in different periods × Billing duration of real-time market prices in different periods

Note

For the same instance type, No determined usage duration instances are more cost-effective in terms of market price than Set instance usage for 1 hour instances, regardless of whether the set usage duration is exceeded.

Billing cycle

Fees are calculated per second and bills are settled per hour.

Billing example

Note

The market price varies based on supply and demand for the instance type. The following figure is provided only for illustrative purposes.

Scenario 1

Suppose you bid at 9:40 (set a single maximum price) of3 USD/hour and successfully won a preemptible instance at a market price of 2.5 USD/hour, Set instance usage for 1 hour. The instance was notified to be interrupted and revoked at 11:00 because the bid price was lower than the market price and was released 5 minutes later.

Cost calculation

Note

Preemptible instances accumulate costs based on the actual usage duration Per Second. The hourly price divided by 3600 gives the price per second.

The actual usage duration is 5100 seconds (9:40~11:05), exceeding 1 hour. The billing price within 1 hour is the market price at the time of transaction, which is 2.5 USD/hour. After 1 hour, the billing price before interrupt and revoke is the real-time market prices in different periods. The actual costs incurred are as follows:

  • 1-hour usage cost = Market price at the time of transaction × Billing duration

    9:40~10:40 (Market price at the time of transaction 2.5 USD/hour, usage 3600 seconds): (2.5/3600)×3600=2.5 USD.

  • After 1-hour usage cost = ΣReal-time market prices in different periods × Billing duration of real-time market prices in different periods

    10:40~11:00 (Market price 3 USD/hour, usage 1200 seconds): (3/3600)×1200=1 USD.

    11:00~11:05 (Market price 4 USD/hour, usage 300 seconds): (4/3600)×300=0.33 USD.

Total cost = 2.5 + 1 + 0.33 = 3.83 USD.

Scenario 2

Suppose you bid at 9:40 following the market price (using automatic bidding) and successfully won a preemptible instance at a market price of 2 USD/hour, Set no determined usage duration. The instance was notified to be interrupted and revoked at 11:00 due to insufficient inventory and was released 5 minutes later.

Cost calculation

Note

Preemptible instances accumulate costs based on the actual usage duration Per Second. The hourly price divided by 3600 gives the price per second.

The actual usage duration is 5100 seconds (9:40~11:05). The billing price is the real-time market prices in different periods. The actual costs incurred are as follows:

Cost within billing duration = ΣReal-time market prices in different periods × Billing duration of real-time market prices in different periods

  • 9:40~10:00 (Market price 2 USD/hour, usage 1200 seconds): (2/3600)×1200=0.67 USD.

  • 10:00~11:00 (Market price 2.5 USD/hour, usage 3600 seconds): (2.5/3600)×3600=2.5 USD.

  • 11:00~11:05 (Market price 3 USD/hour, usage 300 seconds): (3/3600)×300=0.25 USD.

Total cost = 0.67 + 2.5 + 0.25 = 3.42 USD.

Bill query

For more information, see the referenced document.

Overdue payments

If your account has overdue bills, you may not be able to use preemptible instance resources as expected. Overdue payments can lead to the suspension of instances and potential release of resources. To avoid these issues and ensure uninterrupted service, it is advisable to regularly top up your account balance to prevent overdue payments.

References

  • On this page (1)
  • Billable items
  • Billing rules
  • Billing formula
  • Billing cycle
  • Billing example
  • Bill query
  • Overdue payments
  • References
Feedback
phone Contact Us

Chat now with Alibaba Cloud Customer Service to assist you in finding the right products and services to meet your needs.

alicare alicarealicarealicare