Background information
On December 30, 2024, OceanBase officially started the process of switching from the Alibaba Cloud official website channel to the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel. This switch will last from April 1, 2025, to July 1, 2027. Key dates are as follows:
Starting from April 1, 2025, new customers will no longer be able to purchase the ApsaraDB for OceanBase product through the Alibaba Cloud official website channel. Instead, they must place orders through the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel on the OceanBase Database Subscription.
Starting from January 1, 2026, existing customers can no longer purchase new OceanBase instances through the Alibaba Cloud official website channel, but existing instances can continue to be used.
Starting from January 1, 2027, renewals and upgrades for existing customers will end.
Starting from July 1, 2027, all services for the ApsaraDB for OceanBase from the Alibaba Cloud official website channel will be fully discontinued.
From April 1, 2025, OceanBase service personnel will proactively contact existing customers who are using the ApsaraDB for OceanBase through the Alibaba Cloud official website channel to discuss service continuity.
Switching process overview
From April 1, 2025, to July 1, 2027, before the official website channel is completely phased out, existing customers can initiate one-click switching from the Alibaba Cloud official website channel to the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel through the ApsaraDB for OceanBase console. The switching only involves changes to the management console and the service entity. During the switching, OceanBase database services will remain continuously available, and services connecting to the database will not be affected.
The switching process is completed on a per database instance basis. After switching the OceanBase instances from the Alibaba Cloud official website channel to the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel, the instance management console will switch from the Alibaba Cloud website to the OceanBase Cloud website, where users can use all database operation, maintenance, and development functions, such as instance operation and maintenance, monitoring/alerting, diagnostics/tuning, backup/restore, and data migration. The customer's database access link and financial settlement link remain unaffected.
Instance switching is initiated from the ApsaraDB for OceanBase console's instance list page. If you don't see the switching option on the instance list page, the instance specification you are using or the region where the instance is located may not yet support switching to the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel. Please wait patiently or contact the OceanBase service team at support@oceanbase.com for assistance.
The instance switching process includes four stages: simulated billing, precheck, execution, and validation.
Simulated billing: The Alibaba Cloud official website channel and the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel also include changes in the billing channel. Before initiating an instance switch, you can use the simulated billing function to verify that the billing results of the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel are consistent with those of the Alibaba Cloud official website channel.
Precheck: Includes the business pre-check, product compatibility check, instance status check, platform function compatibility check, Alibaba Cloud official website channel's ecosystem tool compatibility check, and recommended switching time check, etc.
Execution: Includes the database instance control switch, billing switch, and data migration link switch. During this process, the database and the database access link will remain continuously available, and services connecting to the database will not be affected.
The switching process is expected to take several minutes.
If an error occurs during the switching process, the user can cancel the switch. If the switch is successful, it will be impossible to switch from the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel back to the Alibaba Cloud official website channel.
Validation: The user validates normal business operations, database status, and billing after the switch.
It is strongly recommended to complete the switch before January 1, 2027. After this date, pay-as-you-go instances will be forcibly terminated, and subscription instances will be forcibly terminated when the current payment period expires. You must complete the switch by July 1, 2027, after which all instances will be forcibly terminated. OceanBase will proactively contact you to assist you in completing the switch as soon as possible.
FAQ
Q: Will the instance switching process affect my services?
A: The instance switching process is essentially a metadata switch for services such as instance management. It does not affect the running database instance or modify the network environment, so it has no impact on online database access services.
Q: What are the billing changes before and after the switch?
A: The billing for OceanBase instances on the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace channel remains the same as that on the Alibaba Cloud official website channel, but some billing items within the instance have changed.
The billing items for cluster instances have changed as follows:
Function Module | Billing Item | Notes on Fee Changes |
Cluster instance | Compute node | No change |
Storage space | No change | |
Read-only replica | No change | |
Read-only columnar replica | No change | |
Database proxy (dedicated specification) | No change | |
Second-level monitoring | No change | |
Binlog service | OceanBase Cloud binlog service is expected to start charging fees in May 2025. | |
Backup and restore | Local backup | No change |
Remote backup | Storage billing has changed; cross-regional traffic charges are now included. See the following for details: | |
Free storage space quota, free period | Existing OceanBase customers on Alibaba Cloud's official website will continue to use the Alibaba Cloud official website's policy by default after switching to OceanBase Cloud in the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace. New customers of the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace will receive 50% free OceanBase Cloud storage space for 7 days. For details, see OceanBase Cloud backup billing. |
Q: Can I still use Alibaba Cloud vouchers?
A: After switching to the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace, Alibaba Cloud's general vouchers cannot be used for OceanBase purchases. Customers can apply for OceanBase-specific vouchers on Alibaba Cloud for OceanBase purchases.
Q: Are there any changes to the user experience for OceanBase products?
The console will switch from Alibaba Cloud to OceanBase Cloud, featuring a new entry point and management interface. Specific functions such as database instance management, backup, monitoring, alerting, database proxy management, and diagnostics remain consistent with those on the Alibaba Cloud official website. Compared to the OceanBase product on the Alibaba Cloud official website, OceanBase Cloud offers a more integrated database product experience.
Function | Alibaba Cloud official website's OceanBase | Alibaba Cloud Marketplace's OceanBase |
Database console | Alibaba Cloud official website's OceanBase console
| The OceanBase console in Alibaba Cloud Marketplace uses the OceanBase Cloud console.
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Q: What do "new customers" and "existing customers" refer to after April 1, 2025?
A:
Existing customers refer to those who purchased OceanBase products through the Alibaba Cloud official website channel between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, based on their Alibaba Cloud main account UID.
New customers refer to those who did not purchase OceanBase products through the Alibaba Cloud official website channel between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, based on their Alibaba Cloud main account UID.
Q: Are there any changes to delivery support services?
A: No changes. Since OceanBase was launched on Alibaba Cloud, its delivery, service, and SLA assurance have always been provided by the OceanBase team.
Q: What if I have other questions?
A: Please contact the OceanBase service team at support@oceanbase.com for assistance.