This topic describes how to share or unshare custom images. Shared images can be used to deploy ECS instances across accounts. After you create a custom image, you can share it with other Alibaba Cloud accounts. The other Alibaba Cloud accounts can create ECS instances from the shared image. You can also unshare custom images from Alibaba Cloud accounts.
Prerequisites
Background information
Images shared with an account do not count towards the image quota for the account. The account is not charged for these shared images.
When the account uses an image shared by you to create ECS instances, you are not charged for but the account is charged for the created instances. For more information about the billing of shared images, see the "Image types" section in Image Overview.
The account can use the images shared with it but cannot delete these shared images directly. You must unshare an image before you can delete it. For more information, see Delete a custom image.
- You can share only the custom images that are created in your account. You cannot share custom images that are created and shared by other accounts.
- Each custom image can be shared with up to 50 accounts.
- You can share images between the accounts on the China (aliyun.com), International (alibabacloud.com), and Japan (jp.alibabacloud.com) sites. However, the custom images that are created based on Alibaba Cloud Marketplace images cannot be shared.
- Custom images cannot be shared across regions. If you want to share a custom image across regions, you must copy the image to the destination region first. For more information, see Copy custom images.
- ECS does not guarantee the integrity and security of shared images. Before you use shared images, ensure that the images come from trusted accounts. You must assume all risks.
Share a custom image
You can perform the following operations to share your custom image with an Alibaba Cloud account.
Unshare custom images
- The account is no longer able to query the image by using the ECS console or by calling the API operation.
- The account is no longer able to create ECS instances or replace the system disk by using the image.
- The system disks of ECS instances that were created from the shared image cannot be re-initialized.