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    Container Service for Kubernetes:Change the instance type of a worker node

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    Container Service for Kubernetes:Change the instance type of a worker node

    Last Updated:Jun 18, 2026

    Change the ECS instance type of ACK worker nodes to scale resources up or down.

    Important

    Because unexpected risks may occur during the operation, back up node data before changing instance types. The node remains Unschedulable throughout. During draining, ACK evicts pods based on configured PodDisruptionBudgets (PDBs). To maintain availability, distribute workloads across multiple nodes with multi-replica deployments. Configure PDBs for key services to limit simultaneous pod disruptions. If the node pool has node scaling enabled, temporarily set Scaling Mode to Manual before resizing, then re-enable it afterward.

    Before choosing an instance type, see Suggestions on choosing ECS specifications for ACK clusters.

    Prerequisites

    Ensure the following:

    Change the instance type of a single node

    The following procedure applies to Pay-As-You-Go worker nodes only. For other reconfiguration methods, see Overview of instance configuration changes.

    1. Log on to the ACK console. In the left navigation pane, click Clusters.

    2. On the Clusters page, click the cluster name. In the left navigation pane, choose Nodes > Nodes.

    3. Find the node and choose More > Drain in the Actions column. In the Drain message, click Confirm.

    4. After the node is drained, click the instance ID to open the instance details page. On the Instance Details tab, in the Configuration Information section, click Change next to the instance type. The Change Instance Type dialog box appears.

      image

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    5. Select the target instance type, review the estimated cost, and click Confirm Change and Pay.

    6. In the Stop Instance dialog box, set the Stop Mode parameter and click OK. See Stop an instance.

    7. After the configuration change completes, click Start Instance and Return. In the Start Instance dialog box, click OK. After the node re-joins the cluster and enters the Ready state, choose Schedulability Settings in the Actions column to restore schedulability.

    Change the instance type of multiple nodes in batches

    Behavior depends on whether the nodes belong to the same node pool:

    Scenario

    ECS instances

    Custom node configurations

    Nodes from different node pools

    Retained (not replaced)

    Retained

    Nodes from the same node pool

    Replaced by new instances

    Deleted

    Nodes from different node pools

    Original ECS instances are not replaced and custom node configurations are retained.

    1. Log on to the ACK console. In the left navigation pane, click Clusters.

    2. On the Clusters page, click the cluster name. In the left navigation pane, choose Nodes > Nodes.

    3. Select the nodes and click Drain at the bottom of the page. In the Drain dialog box, click OK.

    4. After the nodes are drained, log on to the ECS console. In the left navigation pane, choose Instances & Images > Instances.

    5. Select the target ECS instances and choose More > Upgrade/Downgrade > Change Instance Type at the bottom of the page.

    6. In the Destination Instance Type column, select a new instance type for each node and click Next.

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    7. Check instance states and click Next:

      • If all instances are Stopped, click Next.

      • If any instance is Running, click Stop All, then click Next.

      Important

      For pay-as-you-go instances, set Stop Mode to Standard Mode. Economical Mode reclaims vCPUs and memory, and the instance may fail to restart if resources are insufficient. Stopping instances causes service interruption. Perform this operation during off-peak hours.

      image

    8. Review the cost and click Confirm Change.

    9. Start the instances. After they re-join the cluster and enter the Ready state, select the nodes and click Set Node Schedulability at the bottom of the page.

    Nodes from the same node pool

    Important

    This process replaces the original ECS instances with new ones. Custom configurations on the original nodes are deleted.

    1. Log on to the ACK console. In the left navigation pane, click Clusters.

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

    3. Find the node pool and click Edit in the Actions column. Update the instance type in the Instance Type section and click Confirm.

    4. Manually scale out the node pool to add nodes of the new instance type.

    5. After the new nodes enter the Ready state, choose Nodes > Nodes in the left navigation pane.

    6. Find the original nodes and choose More > Drain in the Actions column. In the Drain message, click Confirm.

    7. Confirm that workloads are running correctly on the new nodes, then remove the original nodes.

    Next steps