Create and manage EIP IP address pools - Elastic IP Address

Create an IP address pool to allocate Elastic IP Addresses (EIPs) from a specific CIDR block or as contiguous addresses.

Usage notes

The IP address pool feature is disabled by default. Contact your account manager to enable it.

IP version: Currently, IP address pools support only IPv4 CIDR blocks.
Create an EIP from a specific IP address pool:
- The billing method for the EIP must be pay-as-you-go.
- The EIP, the IP address pool, and the associated cloud resources, such as ECS instances and NAT gateways, must be in the same region.
- The EIP and IP address pool must use the same line type.
  
  The BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro line type is available in the following regions: China (Hong Kong), Japan (Tokyo), Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Philippines (Manila), Indonesia (Jakarta), and Thailand (Bangkok).
- The EIP and IP address pool must use the same security protection type.
  - You can select Anti-DDoS Pro/Premium only when the line type is BGP (Multi-ISP).
  - IP address pools with Anti-DDoS Pro/Premium are available in the following regions: China (Hong Kong), Philippines (Manila), Japan (Tokyo), Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), and Indonesia (Jakarta), US (Virginia), US (Silicon Valley), Germany (Frankfurt), and UK (London).
Quota limits:
- By default, each Alibaba Cloud account (primary account) can create up to 16 IP address pools per region, with a combined maximum of 256 IP addresses across all pools in the region.
  - To request a higher quota, contact your account manager.
  - If you used IP address pools before 10:00:00 on June 5, 2024, check the Quota Management page for your actual capacity.
- An EIP consumes the EIP quota only when it is allocated from an IP address pool.

Create an IP address pool and allocate EIPs

Log on to the IP Address Pool console and verify these prerequisites:

Request permissions: Contact your account manager to enable the IP address pool feature.
Enable IP address pools: If you used IP address pools before 10:00:00 on June 5, 2024, the service is automatically enabled.

Console

Create an IP address pool: Go to the IP Address Pool console. In the top navigation bar, select the region where the associated cloud resource is located. Click Create IP Address Pool.
- Line Type:
  - BGP (Multi-ISP): Provides a fast and stable access experience by using multiple ISP lines with automatic optimal route selection. Supported in all regions.
  - BGP (Multi-ISP)_Pro: Optimized for traffic from outside Chinese mainland to end-users within Chinese mainland. Does not cover data center traffic. Reduces latency and improves access quality through dedicated ISP lines. Available only in specific regions.
- Security Protection:
  - Default: Each EIP includes free basic DDoS protection (up to 5 Gbps). Supported in all regions.
  - Anti-DDoS Pro/Premium: Allocated Anti-DDoS Pro/Premium EIPs provide terabit-level professional DDoS protection. A security protection fee applies to the Anti-DDoS service. This is available only in specific regions. You can select Anti-DDoS Pro/Premium only when the Line Type is BGP (Multi-ISP).
- Add CIDR Block: Turn on the switch and configure Mask or Destination CIDR Block.
  
  After the pool is created, click its ID to open the details page. On the CIDR Blocks tab, add or delete CIDR blocks.
  - Mask: The system automatically allocates an IP address CIDR block. Supported mask range: /24 to /28.
  - Destination CIDR Block: Use bring your own IP (BYOIP) or contact your account manager to obtain a specific CIDR block. Supported mask range: /23 to /30.
- Name, Resource Group, and Tag: You can use these in combination to identify and manage your IP address pools.
To create an EIP from a specific IP address pool, go to the EIP purchase page.
- Billing Method: Pay-as-you-go.
  Select an Internet data transfer billing method:
  1. If you select pay-by-data-transfer for the Data Transfer option: We recommend that you select Pay-by-CDT for . CDT reduces Internet data transfer costs. Keep the default bandwidth, adjustable at any time. Peak bandwidth is an upper limit, not a service-level commitment.
  2. If you select pay-by-bandwidth for the Data Transfer option: You are billed by bandwidth. Set the peak bandwidth based on your needs.
- IP address pool: Select the IP address pool that you created.
- Configure the other settings to match those of the IP address pool.

API

Call OpenPublicIpAddressPoolService to enable the IP address pool feature.
Call CreatePublicIpAddressPool to create an IP address pool.
Call AddPublicIpAddressPoolCidrBlock to add a CIDR block to an IP address pool.
Call AllocateEipAddress and configure the PublicIpAddressPoolId parameter to allocate an EIP from a specific IP address pool.
Call ReleaseEipAddress to release a specific EIP.
Call DeletePublicIpAddressPoolCidrBlock to delete a CIDR block from an IP address pool.
Call DeletePublicIpAddressPool to delete an IP address pool.

Share an IP address pool

Share an IP address pool with other Alibaba Cloud accounts (primary accounts) so they can allocate EIPs from the same pool.

You can share with accounts in the same resource directory or with any Alibaba Cloud account.

Console

This section covers sharing with any Alibaba Cloud account. To share only within a resource directory, follow Share resources only within a resource directory.

Log on to the account that owns the IP address pool and go to the Shared by Me page of the Resource Management console. In the top navigation bar, select the region where the shared resource is located, and then click Create Resource Share.

Step 1: Enter a Resource Share Name and select the IP address pool to be shared.

Step 2: The system selects the AliyunRSDefaultPermissionPublicIpAddressPool permission by default.

Step 3: For Principal Scope, select All Accounts. In the Resource consumer ID field, enter the resource consumer's Alibaba Cloud account ID and click Add.

Step 4: Review the settings, and then click Confirm at the bottom of the page.
Log on to the resource consumer's account to accept the sharing invitation:
1. Go to the Shared with Me page of the Resource Management console.
2. In the top navigation bar, select the region where the shared resource is located. Find the target resource share and click Accept in the Status column.
3. After accepting, the resource consumer can allocate EIPs from the shared pool.

API

Method 1: Share with any account
1. As the pool owner, call CreateResourceShare and set AllowExternalTargets to True.
2. As the resource consumer, call ListResourceShareInvitations to list invitations, then call AcceptResourceShareInvitation to accept the invitation.
Method 2: Share only within a resource directory
1. As the pool owner, call EnableSharingWithResourceDirectory to enable sharing within your resource directory.
2. As the pool owner, call CreateResourceShare and set AllowExternalTargets to False.

Billing

Billable items and pricing

After you add a CIDR block to an IP address pool, a public IP retention fee is charged for each IP address in the CIDR block, regardless of whether it is allocated as an EIP. The unit price is USD 0.007/hour/IP address.
- Not allocated as an EIP: Only the public IP retention fee for the IP address pool is charged.
- Allocated as an EIP: The public IP retention fee is charged, and data transfer fees are charged based on the pay-as-you-go rules. This fee replaces the standard EIP configuration fee, preventing double charges.
If you delete a CIDR block from an IP address pool and then add a new one, you are charged for each IP address in the new CIDR block. If a CIDR block is repeatedly added within the same hour, you are charged only once.
If the CIDR block in the IP address pool is part of the bring your own IP (BYOIP) feature, no public IP retention fee is charged for the IP addresses.

Billing cycle

IP address pools are billed hourly. Fees for each hour are calculated at the start of the next hour.

Partial hours are rounded up to one full hour.
Bills are typically generated about one hour after each billing cycle. Actual timing may vary.

Billing example

Account A creates an IP address pool in the China (Beijing) region and adds a CIDR block that contains 256 public IP addresses. Of these, 50 public IP addresses are allocated as EIPs and associated with ECS instances.

In this case, the public IP retention fee is charged for all 256 IP addresses (the 50 allocated EIPs and the 206 unallocated public IP addresses). The public IP retention fee for one billing cycle is calculated as follows: 256 IP addresses × USD 0.007/hour/IP address × 1 hour = USD 1.792. In addition, data transfer fees are charged for the 50 EIPs based on actual usage.

Stop billing

Billing stops after you delete all CIDR blocks from the IP address pool.

Ensure no EIPs are allocated from the IP address pool.
Click the ID of the target IP address pool to go to its details page. On the CIDR Blocks tab, delete all CIDR blocks.
(Optional) Delete the now-empty IP address pool.

Overdue payments and top-ups

If your account has overdue payments for an IP address pool:

The service remains available for 15 days after a payment becomes overdue.
If you top up your account within 15 days, your service will not be suspended.
If the bill remains unpaid for more than 15 days, the IP address pool enters a service suspension state. In this state, you can only delete the IP address pool.
If you top up your account within 15 days after the service is suspended without deleting the CIDR blocks, the system automatically settles the overdue bills. After the payment is complete, the service is immediately restored.
If the service remains suspended for 15 days and the bill is still unpaid, the CIDR blocks in the IP address pool and the EIPs allocated from them are automatically deleted. After the CIDR blocks are deleted, the related configurations and data are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.