Simple Log Service (SLS) charges for each billable item separately. For example, if you collect and store logs, you are charged a write traffic fee and a log storage fee. This topic describes the billable items of pay-by-feature and how their fees are calculated.
Usage notes
Pay-by-feature supports collecting logs and time series data. The storage space and index building for time series data are priced separately from logs. Fees for data transformation, data shipping, read and write traffic, and requests are the same for both.
You can view usage data from the previous day, such as write traffic, read traffic, read and write requests, data transformation traffic, data shipping traffic, and storage usage, in the Simple Log Service console.
This data is updated once per day and is not real-time.
SLS automatically compresses log data upon collection, typically to 10-20% of its original size.
What is an OCU?
The Observability Capacity Unit (OCU) is a new billing unit from Alibaba Cloud-native Observability. OCU usage is calculated automatically based on hourly resource consumption.
The billing for compute-optimized features of SLS is gradually shifting to an OCU-based model, which bills based on the actual compute resources consumed. In CPU scenarios, one OCU is equivalent to approximately 0.5 CPU cores, 2 GB of memory, and 3,000 IOPS. To calculate the total number of OCUs, SLS determines three separate OCU counts based on the consumed CPU cores, memory, and IOPS. The highest of these three values is used as the final OCU value for billing.
In GPU scenarios, one OCU is equivalent to approximately 1/60 of the computing power of an A10 card. The final OCU value is calculated based on the consumed GPU computing power.
Suppose a computation job consumes 1 CPU core, 2 GB of memory, and 3,000 IOPS. In this case, the job consumes 2 OCUs. In a 1-hour billing cycle, an ingest processor consumes approximately 1/3 of an OCU to process 1 GB of data. The new version of data transformation consumes approximately 1/3 of an OCU to process 1 GB of data. Rule-based consumption consumes approximately 0.3 OCUs to process 1 GB of data.
Billable items of pay-by-feature
The following table describes the billable items of pay-by-feature. For detailed pricing information, see Pricing.
Storage size of log data
Includes the storage volume of compressed logs and the storage volume generated by indexing uncompressed logs, including full-text index, field index, and scan index.
For example, if the raw log size is 1 GB and you upload it to SLS and configure indexes for two of its fields, the compression ratio is 20%, and the index data for the two target fields is 0.5 GB. The log storage space is 0.2 GB + 0.5 GB = 0.7 GB.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the storage size of log data = Daily cumulative storage (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in Cost Units (CUs).
Free quota
500 MB/month. This free quota is available only if you do not use resource plans for deduction.
IA storage size of log data
When intelligent tiered storage is enabled, logs are automatically moved to IA storage (formerly Cold Storage) after the hot storage period expires. You are then charged for the IA storage space, which includes the storage volume of compressed logs and the index storage volume for uncompressed logs.
For example, if the raw log size is 1 GB and you upload it to SLS and configure indexes for two of its fields, the compression ratio is 20%, and the index data for the two target fields is 0.5 GB. The IA storage space is 0.2 GB + 0.5 GB = 0.7 GB.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the IA storage size of log data = Daily cumulative storage (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Archive storage size of log data
After you enable the intelligent tiered storage feature, logs are converted to Archive Storage when they exceed their configured data retention period for the hot storage or IA storage tier. You are then charged for the Archive Storage space used, which includes the storage volume of compressed logs and the indexes for the uncompressed logs.
For example, if the raw log size is 1 GB and you upload it to SLS and configure indexes for two of its fields, the compression ratio is 20%, and the index data for the two target fields is 0.5 GB. The Archive Storage space is 0.2 GB + 0.5 GB = 0.7 GB.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the Archive storage size of log data = Daily cumulative storage (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Storage size of time-series data
Includes the storage volume of compressed time series data and the storage volume generated by indexing uncompressed time series data.
For example, if you upload 1 GB of raw time series data, SLS automatically builds an index. If the index data size is 1 GB and the compression ratio is 20%, the total storage space consumed is 0.2 GB + 1 GB = 1.2 GB.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the storage size of time-series data = Daily cumulative storage (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Read and write traffic
This includes both write traffic and read traffic:
Write traffic: When compressed data is uploaded to SLS, write traffic fees are calculated based on the amount of data transferred. For example, if the raw data size is 10 GB, uploading it to SLS generates 2 GB of write traffic at a 20% compression ratio.
Read traffic: When you deliver compressed data to AnalyticDB for MySQL or consume compressed data, read traffic fees are calculated based on the amount of data transferred. For example, if the raw data size is 10 GB, uploading it to SLS generates 2 GB of write traffic at a 20% compression ratio. Then, delivering the data to AnalyticDB for MySQL using SLS generates 2 GB of read traffic at a 20% compression ratio.
The consumption preview feature in the SLS console generates a small amount of read traffic.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Read and write traffic fee = (Daily cumulative write traffic + Daily cumulative read traffic) (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs
Free quota
500 MB/month. This free quota is available only if you do not use resource plans for deduction.
Index traffic of log data
Index traffic is calculated based on the volume of index data generated when uncompressed logs are indexed or reindexed. Indexes are built for fields, and the amount of index traffic depends on the indexed fields and the length of their values.
For example:
If the raw log size is 1 GB and you write it to SLS with full-text indexing enabled, the index traffic is 1 GB.
If the raw log size is 1 GB and you write it to SLS with indexing enabled for two fields, and the data volume of these two fields is 0.5 GB, the index traffic is 0.5 GB.
Log indexing is used to accelerate query and analysis. To query and analyze logs, you must create an index. For other scenarios, such as migrating or transferring data using SLS, you do not need to create a log index.
This billable item applies to Standard logstores.
Indexing is disabled by default. Enabling indexing generates index traffic and consumes storage space.
Index traffic fees are charged once when data is written.
For fields where both full-text and field indexes are built, index traffic is charged only once.
SLS automatically creates indexes for reserved fields such as __time__ and __source__. This generates a small amount of index traffic. For more information, see Reserved fields.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the index traffic of log data = Daily cumulative index traffic (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs
Free quota
500 MB/month. This free quota is available only if you do not use resource plans for deduction.
Log index traffic of Query logstores
Index traffic is calculated based on the volume of index data generated when uncompressed logs are indexed or reindexed. Indexes are built for fields, and the amount of index traffic depends on the indexed fields and the length of their values.
For example:
If the raw log size is 1 GB and you write it to SLS with full-text indexing enabled, the index traffic is 1 GB.
If the raw log size is 1 GB and you write it to SLS with indexing enabled for two fields, and the data volume of these two fields is 0.5 GB, the index traffic is 0.5 GB.
Log indexing is used to accelerate query and analysis. To query and analyze logs, you must create an index. For other scenarios, such as migrating or transferring data using SLS, you do not need to create a log index.
This billable item applies to Query logstores.
Indexing is disabled by default. Enabling indexing generates index traffic and consumes storage space.
Index traffic fees are charged once when data is written.
For fields where both full-text and field indexes are built, index traffic is charged only once.
SLS automatically creates indexes for reserved fields such as __time__ and __source__, which generates a small amount of index traffic. For more information, see Reserved Fields.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the index traffic of log data = Daily cumulative index traffic (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: A prepaid plan where resources are converted into CUs and deducted from the plan based on usage.
Free quota
None
Index traffic of scanned indexes
Index traffic is calculated based on the volume of index data generated when a scan index is built or reindexed for uncompressed logs. The amount of index traffic depends on the log fields and the length of their values. If a field has both a full-text or field index and a scan index, only the traffic for the full-text or field index is billed. No scan index traffic is generated. Creating a scan index also generates index storage data equal to 20% of the raw log volume.
For example:
If the raw log size is 1 GB and you write it to SLS with full-text indexing enabled, the scan index traffic is 1 GB.
If the raw log size is 1 GB, and you enable field indexes for two fields and also enable a scan index, and the data volume of these two fields is 0.5 GB, this generates 0.5 GB of field index traffic and 0.5 GB of scan index traffic.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the index traffic of scanned indexes = Daily cumulative scan index traffic (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: None
Free quota
None
Index traffic of time series data
Index traffic is calculated based on the volume of index data generated when an index is built for uncompressed time series data. Indexes are built for fields, and the amount of index traffic depends on the indexed fields and the length of their values. When you upload time series data, SLS automatically builds an index.
For example, if you write 1 GB of raw time series data to SLS, 1 GB of index traffic is generated.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of the index traffic of time series data = Daily cumulative index traffic (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Read traffic over the Internet
Public network read traffic is generated when you pull data from the SLS public endpoint. This traffic is calculated based on the compressed data volume.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of read traffic over the Internet = Daily cumulative public network read traffic × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Scan traffic
Scan traffic is calculated based on the volume of scanned data (uncompressed).
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of scan traffic = Daily cumulative scan traffic (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Data transformation
Data transformation fees are calculated based on the volume of uncompressed data processed. If you process data cross-region, public network read traffic is also generated. This traffic is calculated based on the compressed data volume.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of data transformation = Daily cumulative transformed data volume (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Data shipping
Data shipping fees are calculated based on the volume of uncompressed data shipped to destinations such as OSS, MaxCompute, and AnalyticDB for MySQL.
When shipping data to AnalyticDB for MySQL, you also need to call an interface to read data and consume network resources, which generates read/write request fees and read traffic fees.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of data shipping = Daily cumulative shipped data volume (GB) × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Read and write operations
When you upload data to SLS, billing is based on the number of write requests. The number of write requests depends on your data generation speed. The SLS backend is designed to minimize the number of write requests.
When you process, ship data to AnalyticDB for MySQL, or consume data, the data is read in batches, and you are charged based on the number of read requests.
Both successful and failed read and write requests are counted.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of read and write operations = Total daily read and write requests × Unit price per request
Resource plan: A prepaid plan that is converted into CUs, which are consumed to pay for resources.
Free quota
1 million requests/month. This free quota is available only if you do not use resource plans for deduction.
Voice calls
Fees for alert voice calls, charged per notification.
If a voice call for an alert fails to connect, it will not be redialed. A text message notification will be sent instead.
You are charged once for each voice call, regardless of whether it connects. No extra fee is charged for the text message notification sent for a failed call.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of voice calls = Daily cumulative notifications × Unit price per notification
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Text messages
Fees for alert text message notifications, charged per notification.
Some carriers may split long text messages, such as those over 70 characters, into multiple messages. If your message content is too long, you may receive multiple messages, but SLS charges for only one notification.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of text messages = Daily cumulative notifications × Unit price per notification
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Active shards
Fees are calculated based on the number of shards in the read/write state. Shards that have been merged or split do not incur fees.
For example, if you merge three active read/write shards into one, you are still charged for three shards on that day. On the next day, you are charged for one shard.
By default, SLS creates two shards when you create a logstore. For more information about shard-related questions, see Why am I charged for active shards?.
For historical reasons, the number of active shards for logstores and metricstores appear as two different fields on bills: Active Shards and Shard Size. The usage of these two billable items is added together to calculate the total shard usage, with no double counting. This issue is being fixed.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Daily fee of active shards = Number of read/write shards × Unit price per shard
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
31 shard-days/month. This free quota is available only if you do not use resource plans for deduction.
Dedicated SQL
Fees are calculated based on the actual CPU time used for SQL analysis. The unit is the core-hour, which represents the cost of exclusively using one CPU core of compute resources for one hour. For more information, see Billing examples.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Fee of Dedicated SQL = CPU time (hours) × Unit price per hour
Resource plan: Fees are offset by prepaid resource plans, with usage deducted in CUs.
Free quota
None
Rule-based consumption
Fees are billed based on the resources consumed to process data using rule-based consumption. The billing unit is the OCU. In a 1-hour billing cycle, processing 1 GB of data with rule-based consumption consumes approximately 0.3 OCUs.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Fee of rule-based data consumption = Number of OCUs corresponding to consumed resources × Unit price per OCU
Resource plan: None
Free quota
None
Data transformation (new version)
Fees are billed based on the resources consumed to process data using data transformation (new version). The billing unit is the OCU. In a 1-hour billing cycle, processing 1 GB of data with data transformation (new version) consumes approximately 1/3 of an OCU.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Fee of data transformation (new version) = Number of OCUs corresponding to consumed resources × Unit price per OCU
Resource plan: None
Free quota
None
Transfer acceleration
Fees are billed based on the inbound and outbound traffic generated through an acceleration endpoint when you use transfer acceleration. Transfer acceleration is billed based on the actual amount of data transferred. For data upload scenarios, if data is compressed, the traffic is calculated based on the compressed size. For more information, see Manage Projects.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Fee of transfer acceleration = Inbound and outbound traffic from transfer acceleration × Unit price per GB
Resource plan: None
Free quota
None
Ingest processor
You can use an ingest processor to process data before it is written to a logstore for tasks such as data filtering, field extraction, field extension, and data masking. Ingest processors are billed based on the resources consumed for data processing. The billing unit is the OCU.
In a 1-hour billing cycle, processing 1 GB of data with an ingest processor consumes approximately 1/3 of an OCU.
Fee calculation
Pay-as-you-go: Ingest processor fee = Number of OCUs corresponding to consumed resources × Unit price per OCU.
Resource plan: None
Free quota
None