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ENS:Capability map

Last Updated:Jun 08, 2026

Alibaba Cloud ENS is built on a network of over 3,200 carrier-operated edge nodes, covering all provinces and carriers in the Chinese mainland and extending to more than 70 countries and regions worldwide. Globally, over 900 public cloud edge nodes are available. Capabilities vary between ENS nodes due to differences in their network architecture and hardware. The Capability Map is a tool that helps you find nodes that meet your specific requirements.

Why use the capability map

ENS capabilities are divided into universal and differentiated. Universal capabilities, such as security groups and key pairs, are available on all edge nodes by default. Differentiated capabilities vary by node. Use the Capability Map to find which nodes support a given capability.

Note

The following capabilities are supported by all nodes by default: image, key pair, security group, VSwitch, and network ACL.

Use cases

Common scenarios:

  1. Check capabilities of your current edge nodes to identify expansion opportunities.

  2. Find edge nodes that support capabilities required for a planned deployment.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the ENS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Overview.

  2. On the Overview page, click Capability Map.

Data metrics

Query capabilities by node

  • Basic query

    • On the Query Capabilities by Nodes tab, click Select a node in the upper-left corner to choose which nodes to query.

    • All ENS nodes are grouped by region. Select the required nodes and click OK to run the query.

  • Simplified display

    • Filter results by capability level to narrow your focus.

    • In the results section, click the filter icon image next to Primary Capability to filter by primary capabilities.

      Note

      ENS capabilities are organized into multiple levels. For example, cloud disk is a primary capability, while an all-flash cloud disk is a secondary capability.

      Filterable primary capabilities include: compute instance, snapshot, cloud disk, Edge Object Storage (EOS), Edge NAS (ENAS), Storage Gateway, and Network. Select the capabilities you need and click OK.

  • Additional information

    • Status indicators

      The Query Capabilities by Nodes tab displays a capability matrix. The left column lists primary and secondary capabilities (compute instance, snapshot, cloud disk, EOS, ENAS, and Network). The right columns represent individual nodes. Use the All Nodes drop-down list to filter displayed nodes.

      • image Indicates that the node supports ENS product capabilities.

      • image indicates that the capability is not currently supported. Contact your business manager for assistance.

        Note

        Some nodes require account whitelisting. If you cannot find a specific node during purchase, contact your business manager.

    • Page layout: Each node occupies a separate column. To adjust the layout for different screen sizes, select 6, 8, or 10 from the Columns Per Page menu in the lower-right corner.

Query nodes by capability

  • Basic query

    • On the Capability Map page, click the Query Nodes by Capabilities tab.

    • In the filter box, select the capabilities to query. ENS lists nodes that support all selected capabilities. After choosing your deployment nodes, click Copy Selected Nodes in the upper-right corner to copy the node list.

      After you select nodes, a Create instance shortcut appears at the bottom of the page for creating resources directly on those nodes.

  • Quick resource creation

    If your selected nodes meet certain capability criteria, a More operations menu appears at the bottom of the page with shortcuts for creating resources without leaving the current page.

    Creation example

    • When you select X86 compute and VPC and choose your required nodes, the Capability Map feature triggers a Create x86 Compute Instance card. Click Create x86 Compute Instance in the lower-left corner to choose a creation method.

      When you select VPC Hosting, ENS creates a default VPC and VSwitch for VPC nodes. For classic network nodes, ENS allocates CIDR blocks and creates a default security group.

      • VPC Hosting

        After you select VPC Hosting, you are redirected to the ENS instance creation page. Create an instance.

      • Self-managed VPC

        Selecting Self-managed VPC redirects you to the instance creation page for a node with an existing network. ENS pre-fills parameters such as the VPC and node.

        Note

        ENS checks whether a VPC exists on the selected node. If no network exists, create one, refresh the page, and then try again. Create and manage VPCs and VSwitches.