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    Alibaba Cloud DevOps:Build clusters

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    Alibaba Cloud DevOps:Build clusters

    Last Updated:Apr 17, 2026

    Pipelines rely on a build cluster for tasks like code compilation and packaging. Flow provides managed public build clusters to help you quickly start your CI/CD process. You can also connect your own server resources to create self-hosted build clusters, which provide the flexibility to meet custom requirements for different business scenarios.

    Build cluster comparison

    Public build cluster

    Managed VPC build cluster

    Self-hosted build cluster

    Instance source

    Provided by Alibaba Cloud DevOps

    Provided by Alibaba Cloud DevOps

    Provided by the user

    Region coverage

    China (Beijing), China (Hangzhou), China (Hong Kong)

    China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), China (Shenzhen), China (Hangzhou)

    Depends on the user's hosts

    Operating system

    Linux

    Linux

    Linux/Windows/macOS

    Network connection

    Must connect over the public network to access resources such as code repositories, image repositories, artifact repositories, cloud hosts, and Kubernetes clusters.

    Supports both public network and private VPC connections, depending on the user's VPC settings.

    Depends on the user's host network settings.

    Elasticity

    Supports auto scaling. When multiple pipeline tasks run in parallel, each task has an independent container environment.

    Supports auto scaling. When multiple pipeline tasks run in parallel, each task has an independent container environment.

    No elasticity. Concurrent tasks may fail due to limited host resources.

    Specifications

    Multiple specifications are available: 1-core, 2-core, 4-core, 8-core, and 16-core.

    Multiple specifications are available: 1-core, 2-core, 4-core, 8-core, and 16-core.

    Not configurable. Depends on the user's host specifications.

    Billing method

    Billed based on pipeline core-minutes with a calculation factor of 1. For example, a 1-core instance running for 1 minute consumes 1 core-minute.

    Billed based on pipeline core-minutes with a calculation factor of 0.8. For example, a 1-core instance running for 1 minute consumes 0.8 core-minutes.

    Does not consume pipeline core-minutes. Self-hosted instances are not available on the Basic plan.

    Public build clusters

    Public build clusters are pre-configured by Alibaba Cloud DevOps and can only connect to your code repositories, artifact repositories, image repositories, and other cloud resources over the public network.

    Go to the Flow homepage and choose . On the Build Cluster Management page, you can see the public build clusters provided by Flow: the Singapore build cluster.

    • Each build task gets a new container environment, which is released when the task completes.

    • The build environment supports custom container image URLs. Alibaba Cloud DevOps provides a list of official common images, or you can specify your own image as the runtime environment.

    • You can specify the specifications of the build environment. The following options are available to meet the needs of large projects: SMALL_1C2G (30 GB disk space), MEDIUM_2C4G (30 GB disk space), LARGE_4C8G (50 GB disk space), XLARGE_8C16G (50 GB disk space), and XXLARGE_16C32G (50 GB disk space).

    curl -s https://agent-install-cn-beijing.oss-cn-beijing.aliyuncs.com/specified_container_checker/container_checker.sh | sh -s -- <image_url>

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    If your dependent services use a whitelist, add the following IP addresses for Flow build instances:

    Flow server public IP addresses

    47.236.202.110, 8.219.58.226

    Flow Singapore build cluster public IP addresses

    47.236.13.43, 47.245.112.126, 172.30.0.0/16, 172.31.0.0/16, 172.32.0.0/16

    Managed VPC build clusters

    A managed VPC build cluster lets you run build tasks within your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). This enables secure access to code repositories, artifact repositories, image repositories, and other private cloud resources. The entire process, from fetching code to deployment, can be completed within your VPC, ensuring data security and network isolation.

    Note

    • Managed VPC build clusters have no pre-provisioned resources and must be created before use.

    • This feature is currently available in the following regions: Singapore.

    Security benefits

    For users with high network security requirements, a managed VPC build cluster provides the following benefits:

    • Attaches an elastic network interface (ENI) from your VPC to the build task at runtime.

    • Uses your VPC's network stack, enabling private network access.

    • Allows direct access to internal VPC resources, such as RDS, ECS, and self-managed middleware.

    • Prevents sensitive information from being exposed over the public network, enhancing overall security.

    How it works

    By creating a build cluster associated with your VPC, Flow can attach an elastic network interface (ENI) from your VPC when a pipeline build task runs. This connects the build environment to your private network. The task uses the VPC network stack, allowing it to access internal VPC resources such as databases, ECS instances, and self-hosted services. This meets requirements for high security and private network connectivity.

    Create managed VPC build cluster

    Prerequisites

    Before you create a managed VPC build cluster, prepare the following resources:

    • An Alibaba Cloud VPC and a corresponding vSwitch.

    • Configured security group rules.

    • Your VPC must have public network access so Flow can pull build tasks and scheduling commands.

    Procedure

    1. Create a VPC service connection.

      1. Go to the Flow homepage and click .

      2. On the Service Connection Management page, click New Service Connection.

      3. In the dialog box that appears, select Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) as the service connection type and click Next.

      4. Configure the following parameters:

        • Enter a custom Service Connection Name.

        • Configure Service Authorization/Certificate.

        • Set the Scope for the service connection.

      5. After configuration is complete, click Create.

    2. Create the managed VPC build cluster.

      1. After creating the service connection, click Build Cluster Management in the left-side navigation pane.

      2. Switch to the Managed VPC Build Cluster tab and click New Build Cluster.

      3. Fill in the basic information:

        • Build Cluster Name: A custom name.

        • Tags: Used for classification and identification.

        • Visibility: Set whether the cluster is public to project members.

        • Members: Specify the members or roles that can use this build cluster.

      4. Click Next. On the VPC Association page, configure the following parameters:

        • Select a Region. This feature is available in China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), China (Shenzhen), and China (Hangzhou).

        • Select a VPC.

        • Configure a vSwitch and a security group.

        Ensure that the selected VPC can access the Alibaba Cloud DevOps website, code repositories, artifact repositories, image repositories, and other cloud resources.

    3. After the configuration is complete, click Save.

    4. Use and verify the cluster.

      After creating the cluster, select it as the execution environment for build tasks in your pipeline. If environment allocation gets stuck, check the following:

      • Whether the VPC has public network access.

      • Whether the security group allows necessary outbound traffic.

      • Whether the service connection and RAM authorization are correct and valid.

    Use the build cluster

    Go to the pipeline editor and, in the task settings, change the "Build Cluster" option to the VPC build cluster you just created. Save and run the pipeline. Flow automatically assigns a new build environment for the task and connects it to the associated VPC to complete the build and deployment.

    Note

    Managed VPC build clusters use compute resources from Alibaba Cloud DevOps, so their usage is billed based on core-minutes.

    Self-hosted build clusters

    If you have special requirements for your build environment, Flow allows you to connect your own machines as a self-hosted build cluster. You can use Alibaba Cloud ECS instances or other hosts. Flow uses containerized builds, scheduling pipeline tasks randomly to an instance in the self-hosted build cluster for execution in a suitable container environment.

    Prerequisites

    Ensure that your host meets the following requirements:

    • The host can access the public network.

      This is required for Runner installation callbacks, downloading build task dependencies, and other callback operations.

    • The host's operating system and architecture meet the following requirements:

      Linux

      • Supported Linux distributions: CentOS 6+, Ubuntu 16.04+, and Alibaba Cloud Linux 2/3.

      • Architecture: Supports Linux/amd64 and Linux/arm64 architectures.

      • Build environment: Supports Default VM environment.

      • Recommended configuration: 4-core 8 GB or higher.

      Windows

      • Supported Windows versions: Windows 2012, Windows 2016, Windows 2019, and Windows 2022.

      • Architecture: Supports Windows/amd64 architecture.

      • Build environment: Supports the Default VM Environment.

      macOS

      • Supported macOS versions: macOS Sonoma (14.0), macOS Ventura (13.0), and macOS Monterey (12.0).

      • Architecture: Supports macOS/amd64 and macOS/arm64 architectures.

      • Build environment: Supports the Default VM Environment.

    Create self-hosted build cluster

    1. Go to the Flow homepage.

    2. Choose to go to the Self-hosted build cluster tab.

    3. Click New Build Cluster. Enter a Build Cluster Name and Tags, and then configure the Visibility and the Members who have permission to use this cluster.

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    4. When you are finished, click OK to create the build cluster.

    Connect a new node

    1. Go to the Flow homepage.

    2. Choose to go to the Self-hosted build cluster tab.

    3. Find the target build cluster and open its details page. Then click Add New Node.

    Linux instance

    You can connect a Linux instance by using one of the following methods: Install Runner Manually.

    • Install Runner Manually: Copy the Runner installation command and run it on the target machine. After a successful installation, the machine is automatically added to the cluster. Refresh the host list to see it.

      image

    Windows instance

    You can connect a Windows instance by using one of the following methods: Install Runner Manually.

    • Install Runner Manually: On the Windows host, open PowerShell as an administrator and run the Runner installation command. After a successful installation, the machine is automatically added to the cluster. Refresh the host list to see it.

    macOS instance

    You can connect a macOS instance by using the Install Runner Manually method. On the macOS host, copy the Runner installation command and run it. After the Runner is installed successfully, the new machine is automatically added to the current cluster. Refresh the host list to view it.

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    Build cluster management

    Go to the , find the target build cluster, and open its details page.

    • View the host list for the build cluster. The list displays information such as instance ID, IP address, hostname, OS/architecture, usage, Runner status, and installation progress.

    • Reinstall Runner: You can reinstall the Runner if its status is abnormal.

    • Remove Node: This only unbinds the node from the current build cluster. It does not delete the physical machine or uninstall the Runner.

    • Cluster Settings: Modify the build cluster's name, tags, and other settings.

    • Delete Cluster: This unbinds the nodes and deletes the cluster data. It does not delete the physical machines or uninstall the Runners.

    image

    Use self-hosted build cluster

    Go to the pipeline editor and select the self-hosted build cluster created by your enterprise. When the pipeline runs, tasks are randomly scheduled to a build instance, and the corresponding container environment is started for execution. Build duration and concurrent tasks on a self-hosted build cluster do not consume your enterprise's build quota.

    image

    Note

    When you use a self-hosted build cluster, the build environment is allocated to you for the duration of the task. You have full control over the environment and can customize its execution scripts.

    References