Elastic Desktop Service (EDS) Enterprise is a Desktop as a Service (DaaS) product from Alibaba Cloud. Built on the proprietary Adaptive Streaming Protocol (ASP), EDS centralizes computing and data in the cloud, delivering secure desktops without requiring you to manage underlying VMs, networking, or storage—unlike traditional PCs and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
Use cases
EDS centralizes computing and data in the cloud, serving a range of business needs:
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Remote work and secure access
Computing and data stay in the cloud—no business data touches local devices, preventing data leakage. Unified access policies provide granular control, delivering security that surpasses traditional VPNs.
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Multiple branch offices
Administrators centrally create, distribute, and maintain desktop environments and applications from the console, enabling unified cross-region operations with lower on-site support costs.
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Temporary or flexible staffing
Provision cloud computers on demand for short-term needs such as projects or internships—create or release desktops in minutes. Pay-as-you-go billing eliminates long-term hardware investment.
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High-performance graphics processing
GPU instances support architectural design, film post-production, and industrial simulation. Users access cloud workstations from standard terminals for 3D modeling and rendering, eliminating expensive local hardware.
Core capabilities
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Security and compliance
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Data stays in the cloud: All computing and data storage remain in the cloud. Local devices handle only display and input.
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Granular policies: Supports visible and invisible watermarks, screenshot and screen recording prevention, clipboard controls, and peripheral device restrictions.
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Network isolation: Supports domain-based access rules and security groups for granular network access control.
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Auditing and traceability: Operation logs are traceable and auditable for compliance.
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Transmission encryption: ASP supports TLS-encrypted transmission based on the Tongsuo cryptographic library, protecting data in transit between cloud computers and terminals.
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Performance and experience
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Proprietary ASP: ASP is a high-performance protocol supporting TLS-encrypted transmission over both TCP and UDP. It adapts to network conditions, ensuring smooth performance even on weak connections.
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Network bandwidth: Each cloud computer includes 5 Mbit/s of free internet bandwidth. Premium bandwidth plans are available for higher connection quality.
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High data reliability: Data is stored on highly reliable cloud storage with snapshot-based backup and recovery.
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Management and O&M
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Centralized management: The EDS console and OpenAPI enable centralized management of cloud computers, images, templates, and enterprise applications.
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Rapid delivery: One-click deployment with rapid creation, assignment, and release of cloud computers in minutes.
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Scalability and cost
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Flexible billing: Supports pay-as-you-go and subscription billing for both variable and predictable usage.
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Automatic scaling: Automatically creates or releases cloud computers based on preset policies to handle traffic fluctuations and optimize costs.
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Comparison with other products
Comparison with VDI and traditional PCs
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Deployment mode |
Data security |
Cost |
O&M |
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EDS |
Fully managed cloud service, ready to use. |
Data stored in the cloud on highly reliable storage. |
No hardware investment required. Resources provisioned on demand with automatic scaling. |
Centralized cloud management for simple and efficient O&M. |
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VDI |
Requires building, deploying, and maintaining an on-premises data center. |
Data stored on the server side; security depends on the enterprise's own IT capabilities. |
High upfront investment from large one-time hardware costs. |
Centrally maintained, but operational complexity grows dramatically with scale. |
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Traditional PC |
Independent, distributed, and locally installed. |
Data stored locally, prone to loss, leakage, and uncontrollable user behavior. |
High hardware procurement costs and potential for idle resources. |
Long delivery cycles. Upgrades and troubleshooting are difficult, leading to high maintenance costs. |
Comparison with Elastic Compute Service (ECS)
EDS and ECS both provide cloud computing resources but differ in positioning, use cases, and management.
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Item |
EDS |
ECS |
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Product concept |
A DaaS solution providing a complete cloud desktop environment for end users. |
An IaaS solution providing a general-purpose compute server with full administrative control. |
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Core purpose |
Designed for desktop use cases: remote work, secure office access, and graphics design. |
Hosts websites, runs databases, performs big data analysis, trains AI models, and operates other server-side applications. |
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Management model |
End-user and administrator oriented. Users connect via a client; administrators use the console to centrally manage cloud computer pools, users, and policies. |
System administrator and developer oriented. Managed via SSH, RDP, or APIs for deep server-level configuration. |
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Network access |
Optimized for remote cloud computer connections. Inbound access is strictly controlled to ensure cloud computer security. |
Provides fully customizable security group rules. Administrators can open ports and services as needed to serve external traffic. |
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Website hosting |
Cannot be used as a web server to host external websites. |
Supported. This is one of its core use cases. |
Cloud computer specifications
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Category |
Description |
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Instance family |
EDS offers multiple instance families for different workloads:
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Operating system |
Supports Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, Ubuntu 22.04, Rocky Linux, and Kylin V10. Limitation: Creating cloud computers with the Kylin V10 operating system is not supported in regions outside the Chinese mainland. |
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Network access |
EDS allows all outbound traffic by default while strictly limiting inbound traffic.
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Account system |
Supports convenience accounts, enterprise Active Directory (AD) accounts, and SSO integration with identity providers via SAML 2.0. |
Billing
EDS billing includes basic resources and value-added services. For more billing details, see Billing overview.
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Basic resources
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Compute resources: vCPUs, memory, and GPUs.
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Storage resources: system disks and data disks.
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Value-added services
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Internet bandwidth: Basic bandwidth (free), premium bandwidth, and data transfer plans.
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Enterprise storage: File Storage NAS file systems for sharing files across multiple cloud computers.
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Network interconnection: Connect to an on-premises data center (IDC) or VPC through Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN).
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Identity federation: Integrate with your existing AD by using AD Connector.
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Auditing and collaboration: Simple Log Service, screen recording audit, and stream collaboration.
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Others: Paid applications from the marketplace, snapshots and backups, cloud browsers, and more.
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FAQ
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Does EDS support nested virtualization?
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EDS does not support nested virtualization such as Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, or Citrix Xen.
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Next steps
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Learn about the basic concepts of EDS.
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Review the product architecture to understand the EDS workflow and network structure.
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When you are ready to try EDS, refer to the Administrator quick start guide to create a cloud computer.