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    ApsaraDB for SelectDB:Step 1: Create an ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance

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    ApsaraDB for SelectDB:Step 1: Create an ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance

    Last Updated:Sep 19, 2025

    This topic describes how to quickly create a pay-as-you-go ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance to get started with SelectDB.

    Prerequisites

    If you are new to SelectDB, read Introduction to ApsaraDB for SelectDB (for beginners) to learn about its features, basic concepts, and billing. This helps you avoid confusion.

    Notes

    • Pay-as-you-go is a postpaid billing method. Before you create an instance, ensure that your Alibaba Cloud account balance is sufficient.

    • An instance can contain one or more BE clusters. When you create an instance, it contains a single cluster that uses the same billing method as the instance. To scale out, you can create a new cluster in the instance.

    Step 1: Prepare an Alibaba Cloud account

    1. Set up an Alibaba Cloud account.

      If you already have an Alibaba Cloud account and have activated Application Real-Time Monitoring Service (ARMS), you can skip this step.

      1. Go to the Alibaba Cloud official website to register an Alibaba Cloud account.

      2. To activate ARMS, refer to Activate ARMS.

    2. (Recommended) Create a Resource Access Management (RAM) user.

      Important

      An Alibaba Cloud account has full permissions. To avoid sharing the password or AccessKey pair of an Alibaba Cloud account, create a RAM user and grant permissions based on the principle of least privilege. This practice reduces security risks for your business. For more information about RAM users, see RAM users.

      If you want to use your Alibaba Cloud account or you have created and granted permissions to a RAM user, you can skip this step.

      1. For instructions on how to create a RAM user, see Create a RAM user.

      2. Grant permissions: When a RAM user creates a SelectDB instance, the user must have the AliyunSelectDBFullAccess permission to manage SelectDB. For more information about how to grant permissions, see Grant permissions to a RAM user.

    Step 2: Create an instance

    SelectDB supports the Pay-as-you-go and Subscription billing methods. The following list describes their scenarios and features:

    • Pay-as-you-go: This billing method is suitable for short-term use or for testing SelectDB. You can release the instance at any time to stop billing.

    • Subscription: This billing method is suitable for long-term use of SelectDB. It is more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method.

      Note

      You can convert a pay-as-you-go instance to a subscription instance, but not the other way around.

    This topic describes how to quickly create a pay-as-you-go SelectDB instance. To create a subscription instance or for more information about parameter configurations, see Create an instance.

    1. Click pay-as-you-go to open the ApsaraDB for SelectDB (Pay-As-You-Go) purchase page.

    2. On the purchase page, configure the instance parameters.

      Parameter

      Note

      Region and Zone

      Choosing a suitable region and zone improves the access speed to your SelectDB instance. The shorter the geographical distance between your business and the instance's region, the faster the access speed to the SelectDB instance.

      Important

      You cannot change the region of a SelectDB instance after it is created. Select a region with caution. If your business is deployed on Alibaba Cloud, we recommend that you select the same region for your instance.

      Kernel Version

      The purchase page provides stable and latest kernel versions. The stable version is selected by default. We recommend that you use the default version.

      For more information about the mappings between SelectDB kernel versions and Apache Doris versions, see Kernel release notes.

      Instance Deployment Architecture

      The deployment architecture of an instance determines its disaster recovery capability.

      • Zone-redundant Storage: Resources are deployed across multiple zones to provide cross-zone disaster recovery. If a zone fails, the service can be recovered in another zone. This ensures that no metadata or persistent storage data is lost.

      • Locally Redundant Storage: Resources are deployed in a single zone. This architecture is cost-effective but does not provide cross-zone disaster recovery.

      Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

      A VPC is an isolated virtual network on the cloud. VPCs are region-specific resources. A VPC cannot span across regions, but it includes all zones within its region.

      If no VPC is available under your account, go to the VPC console to create one.

      Important

      You cannot change the VPC of a SelectDB instance after it is created. Configure the VPC with caution. If your business is deployed on Alibaba Cloud, we recommend that you select the VPC where your business is located.

      VSwitch

      A vSwitch is a basic network device that makes up a VPC. It is used to connect different cloud resource instances.

      If no vSwitch is available, go to the VPC console to create one.

      Cluster Computing Resources

      The performance and cost of computing resources are linearly related to their specifications. Selecting appropriate computing resources helps reduce costs and ensures business stability. The default configuration on the purchase page is 8 cores and 32 GB.

      When you create an instance, the system creates a pay-as-you-go cluster by default. The computing resources described here are for this default cluster.

      Cluster Cache

      The cache is used to store hot data to improve the read and write speed of SelectDB. The cache size is constrained by the computing resources. The cache size range varies based on the selected computing resources.

      When you create an instance, the system creates a pay-as-you-go cluster by default. The cache described here is for this default cluster.

      Instance Storage

      You do not need to configure this parameter when you create a pay-as-you-go instance.

      Storage is used to store full data. The metering system collects the storage usage of the instance every hour and charges you on an hourly basis. The fees are deducted from your account.

    3. Click Buy Now and complete the payment as prompted.

      Instance creation takes about 10 to 15 minutes. You can go to the Instances page and refresh the page to view the new SelectDB instance.

    Next step

    Step 2: Connect to the SelectDB instance and create a database and a table

    References

    • You can also create a SelectDB instance by calling the CreateDBInstance API operation.

    • To create a subscription instance or for more information about the configuration parameters, see Create an instance.