This article describes how to start or stop an ECS instance.

Start an instance

You can start an instance in the ECS console. When an instance starts successfully, it is in the Running status.

Prerequisite

The instance must be in the Stopped status.

Procedure

Do the following to start an instance:

  1. Log on to the ECS Management Console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances.
  3. Select a region.
  4. Find an instance to be started, and in the Actions column, select More > Start. If you want to start multiple Stopped instances, select them, and under the instance list, click Start.
  5. In the Start Instance dialog box, read the note and click OK.

The instance is in the Running status after start.

Stop an instance

To stop an instance is to shut it down. You can stop an ECS instance in the ECS console. When an instance stops successfully, it is in the Stopped status.

Note
Stopping an instance interrupts your business operations. Proceed with caution.

For a (Subscription) instance, stopping an instance does not affect its billing. However, for a Pay-As-You-Go instance, its network type and the No Fees for Stopped Instances (VPC-Connected) feature determine billing:

  • VPC: If the No Fees for Stopped Instances (VPC-Connected) is enabled, you can decide to keep your instance being billed or not. However, billing for other ECS-related resources is retained. Other resource are not affected. For more information, see No fees for stopped instances (VPC-Connected). If this feature is not enabled, billing continues after the instance is stopped.
  • Classic network: A stopped instance still incurs fees.  Only after Release an instance , the billing will stop.
Prerequisites

The instance is in the Running status.

Procedure

Do the following to stop an instance:

  1. Log on to the ECS Management Console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances.
  3. Select a region.
  4. Find an instance to be stopped, and in the Actions column, select  More > Stop. If you want to stop multiple Running instances, select them, and under the instance list, click Stop.
  5. According to the billing method and network type of the instance, apply suitable actions:
    • Subscription instance or classic network pay per volume instance: In the Stop Instance dialog box, select Stop or Force Stop, and then click OK.

    • A VPC-Connected Subscription instance,

      • If the No Fees for Stopped Instances (VPC-Connected) feature is enabled, read the notice, and read the Notice, in the Stop Instance dialog box, select Stop Method (Stop or Force Stop), and select Stop Mode (whether to keep the instance after stopping and continue charging), and then click OK.

      • If the No Fees for Stopped Instances (VPC-Connected) feature is disabled, in the Stop Instance dialog box, select Stop Method (Stop or Force Stop).

        Note
        To disable the No Fees for Stopped Instances (VPC-Connected) feature, see Disable the feature.

Once the instance is successfully stopped, the instance enters the  Stopped status. For a VPC-Connected Pay-As-You-Go instance, if you choose not to keep the instance, in the Stop Mode column of the instance list, Stop Instance, No Fees. Otherwise, Keep Instance, Fees Apply is shown. For other ECS instances, the Stop Mode does not display information.

Related APIs

Start instance: StartInstance

Stop instance: StopInstance