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    Container Service for Kubernetes:Migrate unmanaged worker nodes to a node pool

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    Container Service for Kubernetes:Migrate unmanaged worker nodes to a node pool

    Last Updated:Mar 26, 2026

    In older ACK clusters created before the node pool feature was released, some worker nodes may not belong to any node pool. To bring these unmanaged nodes under grouped management and automated maintenance, migrate them into a node pool: create a node pool, remove the unmanaged nodes from the cluster, and re-add their ECS instances to the node pool.

    If you no longer need the unmanaged nodes, release their ECS instances directly instead of following this procedure.

    Prerequisites

    Before you begin, ensure that you have:

    Step 1: Create and scale out a node pool

    Create a node pool with the same specifications as the unmanaged nodes, and set its desired node count to match the number of unmanaged nodes.

    1. Log on to the Container Service Management Console. In the navigation pane on the left, click Clusters.

    2. On the Clusters page, click the name of your cluster. In the navigation pane on the left, click Nodes > Node Pools.

    3. In the upper-right corner of the Node Pools page, click Create Node Pool. Configure the parameters and click Confirm. For details about configuration parameters, see Create and manage node pools.

    Step 2: Remove unmanaged nodes

    Remove the unmanaged nodes from the ACK console.

    Warning

    Before removing nodes, clear the Release ECS Instance check box.

    For detailed steps, see Remove nodes.

    Step 3: Add existing nodes

    After removing the nodes, add their ECS instances back to the node pool. For steps and important notes, see Add existing nodes.

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