An Elastic IP address (EIP) is a public IPv4 address that you own independently of any cloud resource. Allocate an EIP, choose line types, billing methods, and security protection, then associate it with a cloud resource.
Choosing an EIP
Line types
You choose a line type when you create an EIP. You can't change it later.
BGP (Multi-ISP) | BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro | |
Description | Connects to multiple ISP lines and automatically selects the best route. | Optimized route for traffic entering the Chinese mainland from outside. Uses dedicated ISP lines to reduce latency. |
Best for | General-purpose use. Works well for most internet-facing services. | Cross-border traffic to the Chinese mainland where low latency matters. |
Availability | All regions | Specific regions outside the Chinese mainland only |
Cost | Low | Medium |
For a detailed comparison, see BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro EIP.
Security protection
You choose a protection type when you create an EIP. You can't change it later.
Default | Anti-DDoS (Enhanced) | |
Best for | Services with standard security needs. Provides up to 5 Gbps of basic DDoS protection. | Services that need terabit-level DDoS protection. |
Configuration | Enabled by default on all EIPs. | Must be selected when you create the EIP. |
Availability | All regions | Pay-as-you-go BGP (Multi-ISP) EIPs only. Limited regions. |
For details, see Anti-DDoS (Enhanced) EIP.
Billing
You can switch the billing method after creation. For pricing details, see EIP billing. CDT is an upgraded metering method for pay-by-data-transfer EIPs that offers tiered pricing.
Billing method | Metering | Best for |
Pay-as-you-go | Pay-by-data-transfer | Fluctuating traffic (gaming, video streaming). Temporary or burstable workloads. Best if you can't predict your traffic. |
Pay-by-bandwidth | Stable peak traffic. Temporary or burstable workloads. | |
Subscription | Pay-by-bandwidth | Predictable, stable traffic. Long-term use — more cost-effective than pay-as-you-go. |
Allocate an EIP
Console
In the EIP console, click Create EIP.
Configure the following:
Billing Method: Pay-as-you-go for fluctuating workloads, Subscription for long-term stable use.
Region: Must match the region of the cloud resource you plan to associate the EIP with.
Line Type: Choose between BGP (Multi-ISP) and BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro. Can't be changed after creation.
Security Protection: Select Anti-DDoS (Enhanced) if you need terabit-level DDoS protection. Only available for pay-as-you-go BGP (Multi-ISP) EIPs. Can't be changed after creation.
IP Address Pool: Optionally allocate from an existing pool.
Bandwidth: Set the peak bandwidth in Mbps.
Complete the payment.
After creation, associate the EIP with a cloud resource to start using it.
If you're using the pay-by-data-transfer metering method, select Pay-by-CDT as the billing method. CDT offers tiered pricing and a free tier that can reduce your data transfer costs.
API
Call AllocateEipAddress.
Add an EIP to Internet Shared Bandwidth
Internet Shared Bandwidth lets multiple EIPs in the same region share a bandwidth pool, which can significantly reduce costs if you run many EIPs.
You can only add pay-as-you-go EIPs to an Internet Shared Bandwidth instance:
The EIP's individual bandwidth setting no longer applies — the Internet Shared Bandwidth instance manages bandwidth.
The EIP stops incurring data transfer or bandwidth fees, but the configuration fee still applies.
The EIP and the Internet Shared Bandwidth instance must be in the same region with the same line type.
Each Internet Shared Bandwidth instance supports up to 100 EIPs. Request a quota increase if you need more.
Console
In the EIP console, find the EIP you want to add.
In the Actions column, choose
> Associate EIP Bandwidth Plan (Internet Shared Bandwidth).Select the Internet Shared Bandwidth instance and click OK.
Choose 
> Disassociate from EIP Bandwidth Plan to remove from an Internet Shared Bandwidth instance. The EIP's maximum bandwidth and billing settings are restored to their previous state. To avoid packet loss from the bandwidth change, do this during off-peak hours.
API
Call AddCommonBandwidthPackageIp with the EIP's allocation ID and the Internet Shared Bandwidth instance ID.
Release an EIP
Pay-as-you-go EIPs incur a configuration fee even when idle. Release unused EIPs to avoid unnecessary charges.
Only pay-as-you-go EIPs can be released. You can't release subscription EIPs or security-locked EIPs.
The EIP must be in the Available state (not associated with any resource). Disassociate it first if needed.
After release, you may still receive a final bill for the partial billing cycle:
Pay-by-data-transfer: billed for the full hour (release at 10:30 → billed for 10:00–11:00).
Pay-by-bandwidth: billed for the full day (release on Jan 1 → bill arrives after midnight Jan 2).
Enable deletion protection on production EIPs to prevent accidental release. Toggle this on the EIP details page in the console.
Console
Standard release
Before you can release an EIP, first resolve its dependencies: Remove the EIP from any Internet Shared Bandwidth instance, disassociate the EIP from any cloud resources, and remove any SNAT or DNAT entries associated with the EIP.
In the EIP console, select the target region in the top navigation bar.
Find the target EIP. In the Actions column, choose
> Release and confirm the action.You cannot release an individual EIP from a contiguous EIP group. To release it, you must release all EIPs in the group.
Forced release
When you force-release an EIP, the system first disassociates the EIP from any associated cloud resources, removes it from any Internet Shared Bandwidth instance, and then releases the EIP.
If the EIP is used in an SNAT or DNAT entry of an Internet NAT gateway, first remove the associated entry.
You cannot force-release an EIP that is part of a contiguous EIP group.
In the EIP console, select the target region in the top navigation bar.
Find the target EIP. In the Actions column, choose
> Forceful Release, then confirm the action.
API
Call ReleaseEipAddress with the EIP's allocation ID.
Recover a released EIP
You can recover an EIP or static public IP address (from an ECS or CLB instance) that was released within the past 7 days. The recovered address becomes a pay-as-you-go, pay-by-data-transfer EIP with 5 Mbps default bandwidth. If your EIP service has been upgraded to pay-by-CDT, the data transfer fees for the recovered public IP address will be billed through CDT.
Recovery fails if the address has been reassigned to another account, locked for security, or reclaimed by the system.
Console
In the EIP console, select the region and click Apply for Specific EIP.
Set Request Type to Apply for Specific EIP. Configure the parameters and click OK.
To Request by IP Address, enter the public IP address you previously owned. To Request by EIP ID, find the ID in your historical orders and enter the ID.
If the released EIP was a BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro EIP, set Line Type to BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro. Note that BGP (Multi-ISP) Pro EIPs are supported only in specific regions.
If you have enabled IP address pools, you can specify an IP address pool and request a specific EIP from it.
API
Call AllocateEipAddressPro.
Request a contiguous EIP block
You can request a contiguous block of EIPs in the following ways:
Use IP address pools: This feature is disabled by default. To use it, contact your business manager.
Contiguous EIP group: Contiguous EIP groups work like individual EIPs — you can associate them with cloud resources for internet access, and they incur the same charges. However, there are some differences:
EIPs in a contiguous EIP group are pay-as-you-go and cannot be converted to subscription.
You cannot release individual EIPs from a contiguous EIP group. You can only release all EIPs in the group at a time.
As of August 6, 2024, this feature is available only to accounts that have used it previously. If you have not used this feature before, use IP address pools instead. Migrate to IP address pools for more flexibility and better management.
Migrate the entire CIDR block of the contiguous EIP group into an IP address pool. Before you begin:
The migration does not affect the association between the EIPs and cloud resources.
You cannot roll back the migration.
After a successful migration, you will be charged public IP retention fees for IP address pools.
Console
In the EIP console, select the target region in the top navigation bar. Find any EIP in the target contiguous EIP group. In the Actions column, choose
> Migrate to IP Address Pool.Review the information in the message, then click OK.
After the migration is successful, the IP Address Pool ID column for the EIPs will display the ID of the new IP address pool.
API
Call TransformEipSegmentToPublicIpAddressPool to migrate a contiguous EIP group to an IP address pool.
Production tips
Reduce costs with CDT: For pay-by-data-transfer EIPs, switch to CDT billing for tiered pricing, a free tier, and consolidated IPv4/IPv6 billing across products.
Share bandwidth: If you run multiple pay-by-bandwidth EIPs, add them to an Internet Shared Bandwidth instance.
Use IP address pools: For contiguous addresses or specific IP ranges, allocate EIPs from an IP address pool.
Avoid idle charges: Associate EIPs with resources promptly after creation, or release unused ones.
Quota
Item | Default | Adjustable |
Pay-as-you-go EIPs per account (excludes subscription EIPs) | 20 | Request an increase on the Quota Managementpage or in Quota Center. |