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ApsaraDB for MongoDB:Recycle Bin

Last Updated:Aug 24, 2026

The ApsaraDB for MongoDB Recycle Bin holds MongoDB instances that recently expired, that have an overdue payment, or that you released manually. In the Recycle Bin, you can renew an instance to unlock it, rebuild its data to a new instance, or destroy it. Whether an instance enters the Recycle Bin at all, and how long you can still restore it, depends on the instance architecture, the storage type, and the billing method.

Limits on instance restoration

Check the following limits before you rely on the Recycle Bin to recover an instance:

  • Standalone instances — After a standalone instance is released, you cannot restore it from the Recycle Bin.

  • Sharded cluster instances that use local disks — After a sharded cluster instance that uses a local disk is released, you cannot restore it from the Recycle Bin.

  • Pay-as-you-go sharded cluster instances that use local disks and that you release manually — An instance of this type is not moved to the Recycle Bin after you manually release it, and it cannot be rebuilt.

  • Instances that have TDE enabled — After an instance that has Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) enabled is released, you cannot restore it from the Recycle Bin.

  • Instances that have disk encryption enabled — To restore an instance that has disk encryption enabled, make sure that the KMS key used by the instance is available. Otherwise, the instance cannot be restored.

Actions that you can perform

The Recycle Bin lists instances that recently expired, that have overdue payments, or that you manually released from the instance list. The following actions are available:

  • Renew — Renew a subscription instance to keep it running as normal, or to return a locked instance to the normal state.

  • Recharge — Top up your Alibaba Cloud account to keep a pay-as-you-go instance running as normal, or to restore an instance that is locked because of an overdue payment to the normal state.

  • Rebuild — Restore the data of a released instance to a new instance. The restoration duration depends on the instance performance and the data volume. If the instance was moved to the Recycle Bin because of an overdue payment or a manual release, top up your Alibaba Cloud account before you rebuild it.

  • Destroy — Release the compute resources and the data of the instance. The instance cannot be restored.

Recovery actions supported by each instance architecture and storage type

The following table lists the recovery actions that each combination of instance architecture and storage type supports in the Recycle Bin. In addition to these recovery actions, Destroy is available for all combinations, and Recharge is available for pay-as-you-go instances.

Instance architecture

Storage type

Supported recovery actions

Replica set instance

Local disk

Renew and Rebuild

Replica set instance

ESSD

Renew, Rebuild, and modify the backup retention policy of the released instance

Sharded cluster instance

Local disk

Renew

Sharded cluster instance

ESSD

Renew, Rebuild, and modify the backup retention policy of the released instance

Lifecycle after an instance expires or your account has an overdue payment

The action that is still available to you, and the time you have left before the data is deleted, depend on three factors: the storage type of the instance, the instance architecture, and the billing method. Select the tab for your storage type, and then find the row that matches your instance architecture and billing method.

Warning

Rebuild is not available for every instance, even when the following tables list it as an available action. Before you plan a recovery, check the limits that are described in the "Limits on instance restoration" section of this topic.

Data retention after an instance that uses ESSDs is released

After the compute resources of an instance that uses ESSDs are released, the data of the instance is retained based on the Backup Retention Policy that you specified:

  • If the backup retention policy is Immediately delete all backup sets of the instance upon release: On days 0 to 7 after the instance is released, the Recycle Bin displays the last backup set of the instance. You can rebuild the data to a new instance before the backup set is released.

  • If the backup retention policy is Automatically back up data when you release the instance and retain the backup set for the instance for a long time.: The backup is retained for the long term. The Recycle Bin displays the last backup set of the instance, and you can rebuild the data to a new instance.

  • If the backup retention policy is Automatically back up data when you release the instance and retain all backup sets for the instance for a long time.: The backups are retained for the long term. The Recycle Bin displays all backup sets of the instance, and you can rebuild the data to a new instance.

Timeline by storage type

ESSD

Instance architecture

Billing method

Instance status

Available actions

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Subscription

On days 1 to 15 after the instance expires, the instance runs as normal.

Renew

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Subscription

On days 16 to 30 after the instance expires, the instance is locked and inaccessible.

Renew or Destroy

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Subscription

On day 31 after the instance expires, the compute resources of the instance are released. The data is retained based on the backup retention policy.

Rebuild or Destroy

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Subscription

After the period specified by the backup retention policy ends, the data of the instance is no longer retained.

None. The instance is permanently destroyed, and its data cannot be recovered.

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Pay-as-you-go

On days 1 to 15 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the instance runs as normal.

Recharge

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Pay-as-you-go

On days 16 to 30 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the instance is displayed as Inactive in the instance list and as Locked in the Recycle Bin. You cannot read from or write to the data.

Recharge or Destroy

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Pay-as-you-go

On day 31 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, or after you manually release the instance, the compute resources of the instance are released. The data is retained based on the backup retention policy.

Rebuild or Destroy

Replica set instance or sharded cluster instance

Pay-as-you-go

After the period specified by the backup retention policy ends, the data of the instance is no longer retained.

None. The instance is permanently destroyed, and its data cannot be recovered.

Local disk

Instance architecture

Billing method

Instance status

Available actions

Replica set instance

Subscription

On days 1 to 15 after the instance expires, the instance runs as normal.

Renew

Replica set instance

Subscription

On days 16 to 30 after the instance expires, the instance is locked and inaccessible.

Renew or Destroy

Replica set instance

Subscription

On day 31 after the instance expires, the compute resources of the instance are released and the data is retained for 7 more days. You receive a notification by text message or email.

Rebuild or Destroy

Replica set instance

Subscription

On day 38 after the instance expires, the data of the instance is no longer retained.

None. The instance is permanently destroyed, and its data cannot be recovered.

Replica set instance

Pay-as-you-go

On days 1 to 15 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the instance runs as normal.

Recharge

Replica set instance

Pay-as-you-go

On days 16 to 30 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the instance is displayed as Inactive in the instance list and as Locked in the Recycle Bin. You cannot read from or write to the data.

Recharge or Destroy

Replica set instance

Pay-as-you-go

On day 31 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the compute resources of the instance are released and the data is retained for 7 more days.

Rebuild or Destroy

Replica set instance

Pay-as-you-go

On day 38 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the data of the instance is no longer retained.

None. The instance is permanently destroyed, and its data cannot be recovered.

Sharded cluster instance

Subscription

On days 1 to 15 after the instance expires, the instance runs as normal.

Renew

Sharded cluster instance

Subscription

On days 16 to 30 after the instance expires, the instance is locked and inaccessible.

Renew or Destroy

Sharded cluster instance

Pay-as-you-go

On days 1 to 15 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the instance runs as normal.

Recharge

Sharded cluster instance

Pay-as-you-go

On days 16 to 30 after your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, the instance is displayed as Inactive in the instance list and as Locked in the Recycle Bin. You cannot read from or write to the data.

Recharge or Destroy

Procedure

  1. Log on to the MongoDB console.

  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Recycle Bin.

  3. In the upper-left corner of the page, select the resource group and the region where the instance is located.

  4. On the Recycle Bin page, select Host&Slave or Sharded Cluster Instances based on the type of instance that you want to manage.

  5. On the Recycle Bin page, you can perform the Renew, Rebuild, and Destroy operations.

Renew

Only expired subscription instances that are in the Locked state support the Renew operation. If an instance is locked because your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue payment, top up your account to restore the instance to the normal state.

  1. To the right of the target instance, click the More icon and select Renew.

  2. On the Renew page, select a subscription duration.

  3. Read the Terms of Service and click Buy Now.

  4. On the Pay page, complete the payment as prompted.

Rebuild

Only instances that are in the Released state support the Rebuild operation.

  1. To the right of the target instance, click the More icon and select Rebuild.

  2. On the Clone instance page, specify the region, zone, specifications, and other information for the new instance, and then click Buy Now.

  3. On the Confirm Order page, check the configuration details, read the Terms of Service, and complete the payment as prompted.

Destroy

Warning

After you destroy an instance, the data in the original instance is also destroyed and cannot be recovered.

For an instance that uses ESSDs, change the backup retention policy to {value, select, 2{Automatically back up data when you release the instance and retain all backup sets for the instance for a long time.} 1{Automatically back up data when you release the instance and retain the backup set for the instance for a long time.} 0{Delete all backup sets when you release the instance.}} before you destroy the instance. You can modify the backup retention policy only for instances that use ESSDs.

  1. Click the + icon to the left of the target instance to expand the backup list.

  2. Click Modify Backup Retention Policy.

  3. In the Modify Backup Retention Policy dialog box, select {value, select, 2{Automatically back up data when you release the instance and retain all backup sets for the instance for a long time.} 1{Automatically back up data when you release the instance and retain the backup set for the instance for a long time.} 0{Delete all backup sets when you release the instance.}} and click Determine.