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Elastic Compute Service:Create instances

Last Updated:Aug 12, 2025

This topic describes several methods of creating Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances and the use scenarios of each method. You can choose a method based on your business requirements.

Method

Scenario

Create a subscription instance on the Quick Launch tab

Create subscription instances with a few clicks. This method simplifies the instance creation process and allows you to create a subscription instance within minutes.

Create an instance on the Custom Launch tab

Customize instance configurations, such as the image type, instance type, storage, bandwidth, and security groups, based on your business requirements when you create an instance.

Create an instance by using a custom image

To create instances with a pre-configured operating system and applications, you can first create a custom image. Using a custom image simplifies the deployment of instances that meet your specific requirements.

Create an instance by using a community image

Use a community image to quickly deploy an instance with an operating system, applications, and data pre-configured by the community to suit specific business needs.

Purchase an instance that has the same configurations as an existing instance

If you need a new instance with the same configuration as an existing one, you can use this method to quickly replicate it. This is useful for horizontal scaling in specific scenarios.

Clone an instance

Clone an instance to quickly create a copy that is either identical or similar to the original. This method is ideal for creating test environments, scaling applications, disaster recovery, backups, and migrations. It improves the reliability, scalability, and efficiency of your services.

Create an instance by using a launch template

Save instance configurations as a launch template to simplify and accelerate the creation of future instances.

Use auto provisioning group-related API operations to batch create ECS instances

To efficiently create a large number of pay-as-you-go instances, use an auto provisioning group. This method allows you to define a fleet of instances with a single configuration and automatically provisions them based on your specified capacity.