Running Nacos or ZooKeeper for service discovery and configuration management requires provisioning servers, configuring clusters, and maintaining availability. Microservices Engine (MSE) eliminates this overhead by providing fully managed Nacos and ZooKeeper instances. Select an engine type and edition, configure networking, and start registering services within minutes.
Nacos vs. ZooKeeper
MSE supports two engine types. Choose the one that matches your architecture:
| Engine | Best for |
|---|---|
| Nacos | Microservices that need dynamic service discovery and configuration management |
| ZooKeeper | Distributed applications that need cluster coordination |
Nacos is seamlessly compatible with the Eureka protocol. If your services currently use Eureka, select Nacos as the engine type.
Developer Edition vs. Professional Edition
Select an edition based on your workload requirements:
| Aspect | Developer Edition | Professional Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Specifications | 1 Core, 2 GB Memory or 2 Cores, 4 GB Memory | 1 Core, 2 GB Memory, 2 Cores, 4 GB Memory, 4 Cores, 8 GB Memory, 8 Cores, 16 GB Memory, or 16 Cores, 32 GB Memory |
| Node count | 1 node only | 3 or more nodes for high availability |
Each Developer Edition instance can have only one node. Each Professional Edition instance can have at least three nodes to ensure high availability.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
A VPC and vSwitch in the target region (required for VPC network type)
(Optional) Public bandwidth quota, if the instance needs internet access
Create a registry instance
Step 1: Open the creation page
Choose the path that applies:
First-time users -- On the MSE product page, click Buy Now, then click the Microservices Registry tab.
Existing users -- Log in to the MSE console. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Microservices Registry > Instances, then click Create Instance.
Step 2: Select a product type
MSE offers four product types:
| Product type | When to use |
|---|---|
| Subscription | Long-running production workloads (one month or longer). Lowest unit cost. |
| Pay-as-you-go | Short-term or variable workloads where flexibility matters more than cost. |
| Serverless | Test environments or small-to-medium production workloads. Scales automatically and reduces idle costs. |
| Serverless savings plan | Serverless workloads with predictable baseline usage. Combines auto-scaling with committed-use discounts. |
Step 3: Select a region
Select the region closest to your application workloads. For the full list of available regions, see Supported regions.
Step 4: Configure the instance
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | Select Nacos or ZooKeeper. See the Nacos vs. ZooKeeper section for guidance. |
| Engine Version | Select the engine version. |
| Instance Name | Enter a descriptive name for the instance. |
| Engine Specifications | Select the CPU and memory for each node. Available options depend on the edition. See the Developer Edition vs. Professional Edition section for details. For sizing guidance, see Estimate instance capabilities. |
| Number of Cluster Nodes | Select the number of nodes. Developer Edition: 1 node only. Professional Edition: 3 or more nodes for high availability. |
| Resource Group | Select a resource group to organize billing and access control. |
Step 5: Configure networking
| Network type | Description | Required fields |
|---|---|---|
| VPC | Private network access. Suitable for production workloads that communicate within a private network. | Select a VPC and a vSwitch in the same region. |
| Internet | Public network access. Alibaba Cloud assigns a public IP address. Suitable for quick testing or external service integration. | Configure and purchase public bandwidth. |
Both network types support public bandwidth. Even with VPC selected, purchasing public bandwidth generates a public endpoint for internet access.
Step 6: (Optional) Configure public bandwidth
If the instance needs internet access, specify the public bandwidth. This applies to both VPC and Internet network types.
Step 7: (Subscription only) Select a duration
If you selected Subscription as the product type, choose the subscription duration. Enable Auto-renewal to avoid service interruptions.
Step 8: Confirm and pay
Click Buy Now.
On the Confirm Order page, read the terms of service, select the checkbox, and click Pay.
Verify the result
Go to the Instances page in the MSE console. The instance is ready when its status changes to Running.
Authentication is disabled by default on new Nacos instances. After initial testing, enable access authentication and configure a public IP address whitelist to secure the instance.
Next steps
After the instance is running:
Manage the instance -- Modify instance settings or release the instance. See Manage an instance.
Change the VPC -- Switch to a different VPC or configure access controls. See Manage the VPC of an instance and Configure a whitelist.
Register services -- Connect your applications to the instance:
Nacos: See Nacos engines.
ZooKeeper: See ZooKeeper engines.
Manage services -- Add, query, or remove registered services. See Manage services (Nacos) or Manage services (ZooKeeper).
Monitor the instance -- Track instance health and performance metrics. See Monitor engines.