Elastic Container Instance (ECI) enforces limits at the instance, API, and Kubernetes integration levels. Some limits are fixed; others can be increased by submitting a quota increase request.
Instance limits
The following limits apply to each elastic container instance.
| Resource | Limit | Adjustable |
|---|---|---|
| vCPUs per instance | 64 vCPU | No |
| Volumes per instance | 20 | No |
| Containers per instance | 20 | No |
| Network types | VPC only | No |
| Account requirement for the Chinese mainland | Real-name verification required To create ECI instances in regions within China, your account must pass identity verification. | No |
| vCPUs per region | Varies by account based on historical usage | Yes — use Quota Center to request an increase |
To view your current regional vCPU quota, go to the Privileges page in the Elastic Container Instance console.
API limits
Each API operation has a maximum calls-per-minute quota. If the default quota doesn't meet your requirements, submit a ticket to request an increase.
| API operation | Max calls per minute |
|---|---|
| DescribeContainerGroups | 2,000 |
| DescribeContainerGroupMetric | 2,000 |
| CreateContainerGroup | 1,000 |
| DeleteContainerGroup | 1,000 |
| DescribeContainerGroupPrice | 1,000 |
| ExportContainerGroupTemplate | 1,000 |
| ExecContainerCommand | 500 |
| DescribeContainerLog | 500 |
| RestartContainerGroup | 500 |
| UpdateContainerGroup | 500 |
| DescribeMultiContainerGroupMetric | 500 |
| CreateImageCache | 200 |
Kubernetes limits
ECI integrates with Kubernetes through Virtual Kubelet, a virtual node implementation from the Kubernetes community. Elastic container instances run across the Alibaba Cloud resource pool rather than on fixed physical nodes. Because of this, Kubernetes features that depend on direct host access are not supported.
The following table lists unsupported features and recommended alternatives.
| Unsupported feature | Why it is not supported | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| HostPath | Requires direct access to host filesystem | Use emptyDir volumes, disks, or File Storage NAS (NAS) |
| HostNetwork | Requires mapping a host port to a container | Create a Service of the LoadBalancer type |
| DaemonSet | Requires a static pod on a fixed container host | Deploy multiple images in a pod using sidecar containers |
| Service of the NodePort type | Requires mapping a host port to a container | Create a Service of the LoadBalancer type |
ulimit
ECI does not support modifying ulimit settings. To check the default ulimit values in a container, run:
ulimit -aTo modify ulimit settings, submit a ticket.
Reserved ports
Do not use the following ports when deploying services. ECI and related services reserve these ports.
| Port | Reserved by |
|---|---|
| 111, 10250, 10255 | ECI interfaces (exec, logs, metrics) |
| 998 | Cloud Paralleled File System (CPFS) |