Pay for MaxCompute computing resources by the hour - MaxCompute

This topic describes how to pay for MaxCompute computing resources by the hour.

Background information

If MaxCompute computing resources are paid by the hour, the number of used compute units (CUs) and usage duration are used as metrics. You are charged after the CUs are scaled in.

In MaxCompute, you can configure and use elastically reserved CUs after you purchase subscription-based reserved CUs. This way, you can scale out CUs in the subscription level-1 quota during a specified period of each day. You pay for the elastically reserved CUs based on the usage duration in hours. This ensures that sufficient CUs are provided during peak hours. No upfront payment is required for the elastically reserved CUs. When the scale-out operation is successful, the usage duration starts. When the scale-in operation is successful, the usage duration ends. You are charged on a pay-as-you-go basis, based on the number of elastically reserved CUs and the usage duration. The system pushes metering data every hour on the hour and when the number of used CUs changes. The system collects statistics on the total number of elastically reserved CUs used in the level-1 quota and the usage duration on an hourly basis. Bills are generated three hours after a billing cycle ends.

If the scale-out of elastically reserved CUs is successful, the elastically reserved CUs are allocated to the subscription quota as exclusive resources, and the usage duration starts. The usage duration ends when the scale-in operation is successful. Therefore, if elastically reserved CUs are not required for your business, you must release the elastically reserved CUs at the earliest opportunity. Otherwise, you are charged for elastically reserved CUs even if the CUs are not used.
You need to configure settings on the Quota Plans and Time Plans tabs on the Quotas page to scale out or scale in elastically reserved CUs. For more information, see Manage quotas in the new MaxCompute console. The maximum number of elastically reserved CUs is the total number of subscription-based reserved CUs in the purchased quota and cannot exceed 10,000. You must check inventory data when you configure elastically reserved CUs. You must configure 50 CUs or a multiple of 50 CUs as elastically reserved CUs.
Note
If you require more than 10,000 elastically reserved CUs, contact technical support for estimation. For more information, see Obtain online support.

Pricing for computing resources

The following table describes the pricing for elastically reserved CUs.

Type	Pricing for the public cloud	Description
Elastically reserved CU	0.0488 USD/CU/hour	If you use elastically reserved CUs for more than 16 hours each day, we recommend that you directly purchase subscription-based reserved CUs instead.