You can change the billing method for network usage of an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance that uses a static public IP address from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic or from pay-by-traffic to pay-by-bandwidth. The static public IP address of the ECS instance is the public IP address assigned by the system.
For information about how to change the billing method of an elastic IP address (EIP), see Switch metering methods.
Billing methods for network usage of an ECS instance that uses a static public IP address
Pay-by-bandwidth: You are charged fees based on the bandwidth that you specify. The actual outbound bandwidth of the instance does not exceed the specified bandwidth. This billing method is suitable for scenarios in which bandwidth usage is predictable.
Pay-by-traffic: You are charged fees based on the actual traffic volume. If you use this billing method, the bandwidth that you specify is the maximum bandwidth for outbound traffic. The bandwidth limit prevents out-of-control fees caused by traffic bursts. This billing method is suitable for scenarios in which bandwidth usage may significantly fluctuate.
ImportantIf you use the pay-by-traffic billing method for network usage, the maximum inbound and outbound bandwidths are used as the upper limits of bandwidths instead of guaranteed performance specifications. In scenarios in which demand exceeds available resources, the maximum bandwidths may not be reached. If you want guaranteed bandwidths for your ECS instance, use the pay-by-bandwidth billing method for network usage.
BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro lines in the China (Hong Kong) region do not support the pay-by-traffic billing method for network usage.
Change from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-traffic
The following section describes how to change the billing method for network usage of an instance from pay-by-bandwidth to pay-by-trafficin the ECS console. You can also call the ModifyInstanceNetworkSpec operation to change the billing method for network usage.
Go to ECS console - Instance.
In the top navigation bar, select the region and resource group of the resource that you want to manage.
Change the billing method for network usage of an ECS instance based on its billing method.
Pay-as-you-go instance
Find the pay-as-you-go instance that you want to manage and click its ID to go to the instance details page. In the upper-right corner of the page, choose .
In the Public Bandwidth section, select Pay-By-Traffic and specify a maximum bandwidth value.
Read and select ECS Terms of Service, and then click Confirm. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation. The new configuration immediately takes effect.
Subscription instance
Find the subscription instance that you want to manage and click its ID to go to the instance details page. In the upper-right corner of the page, choose .
In the dialog box that appears, select Downgrade Bandwidth and click Continue.
On the Downgrade Bandwidth page, select Pay-By-Traffic and specify a maximum bandwidth value.
Read and select ECS Terms of Service, and then click Downgrade. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation. The new configuration immediately takes effect.
Alibaba Cloud allows you to perform batch operations on the Instance page. You can select multiple ECS instances on the Instance page and batch change their billing methods for network usage.
Change from pay-by-traffic to pay-by-bandwidth
The following section describes how to change the billing method for network usage of an instance from pay-by-traffic to pay-by-bandwidthin the ECS console. You can also call the ModifyInstanceNetworkSpec operation to change the billing method for network usage.
Go to ECS console - Instance.
In the top navigation bar, select the region and resource group of the resource that you want to manage.
Change the billing method for network usage of an ECS instance based on its billing method.
Pay-as-you-go instance
Find the pay-as-you-go instance that you want to manage and click its ID to go to the instance details page. In the upper-right corner of the page, choose .
In the Public Bandwidth section, select Pay-By-Bandwidth and specify a bandwidth value.
Read and select ECS Terms of Service, and then click Confirm. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation. The new configuration immediately takes effect.
Subscription instance
Find the subscription instance that you want to manage and click its ID to go to the instance details page. In the upper-right corner of the page, choose .
In the dialog box that appears, select Modify Maximum Bandwidth Value and click Continue.
In the Public Bandwidth section, select Pay-By-Bandwidth and specify a bandwidth value.
Read and select ECS Terms of Service, and then click Confirm. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation. The new configuration immediately takes effect.
Alibaba Cloud allows you to perform batch operations on the Instance page. You can select multiple ECS instances on the Instance page and batch change their billing methods for network usage.
References
After you change the billing method for network usage of an ECS instance, the system calculates the public bandwidth fee of the instance based on the new billing method. For more information, see Public bandwidth.
You may need to modify the bandwidth limit or configurations for an ECS instance based on the new billing method. For more information, see the following topics:
If you want to manage public IP addresses in a more flexible manner, such as associating EIPs with or disassociating EIPs from ECS instances, you can convert the static public IP addresses of the ECS instances to EIPs.
ImportantIf you change the billing method of an EIP that is converted from a static public IP address from pay-as-you-go to subscription, the EIP price may change. Proceed with caution when you change the billing method of the EIP. For more information, see FAQ about billing.