FAQs about Spot Instance

Why is a Spot Instance released automatically?

The product feature of Spot Instances determines that the system will reclaim your Spot Instance automatically when the resource inventory is insufficient or the market price is higher than your bid. Kingsoft Cloud will protect your Spot Instance for one hour, and you can hold it stably within the first hour after the Spot Instance is created. If the release condition of the Spot Instance is triggered one hour later, your Spot Instance will be reclaimed.

Will it be notified when a Spot Instance is released automatically? How is it notified?

Yes. Kingsoft Cloud will notify you through the site message, SMS, and email 10 minutes before the instance is released. You need to set the contact to receive the product expiration and shutdown notifications in message management. You can also call the DescribeInstances operation to view the release information of your Spot Instance. For more information, see SpotRecyclingTime in InstancesSet.

Will a Spot Instance enter the recycle bin after it is released?

A Spot Instance will be deleted after it is automatically or manually released, and it will not enter the recycle bin.

How can I save my data if my Spot Instance is released automatically?

It is recommended that you attach an EBS volume as the data disk to the Spot Instance and create snapshots periodically to back up your data and environment. Make sure that you back up your data in a timely manner upon receiving the alert to obtain a better experience of using the Spot Instance.

Can I set the time to delete a Spot Instance?

Yes. You can set the time to delete your Spot Instance automatically. For details, see Delete instances.

Which resources can obtain the discount on Spot Instances?

The Spot Instance discount applies to only computing resources: CPU and memory.

How is a Spot Instance billed?

A spot instance is billed by second. The duration billed starts from the moment an Spot Instance is started to the time when the Spot Instance is released manually or automatically.

How to bid for a Spot Instance?

You can set the highest price you can afford when you create a Spot Instance, or you can configure the system to automatically bid for a Spot Instance to keep the bid consistent with real-time market price. (In the current stage, the price of a Spot Instance is fixed at 20% of a Hourly Instant Settlement instance. Only automatic bidding of the system is supported, and the custom bidding function will be provided in subsequent versions.)

Can I view the real-time price of a Spot Instance?

Yes. You can view the real-time price of the Spot Instance you purchase in the console when you place the order.

Can I see historical prices of a Spot Instance?

Currently, the market price of a Spot Instance is fixed at 20% of the price of an Hourly Instant Settlement instance. Therefore, historical prices will not be provided in the current stage. The historical price data of the Spot Instance will be provided in subsequent versions.

Is the specified highest bid price or the market price used as the basis for Spot Instance charging?

The market price is used as the basis for charging. You can set the highest price you are willing to afford to prevent your Spot Instance from being released due to the change of the market price. (In the current version, a fixed market price is used, and the highest price cannot be set.)

How can I check billing details of a Spot Instance?

You can check your Spot Instance bill in "Billing > Bill Management > Real-Time Billing Summary" at the top of the console.

Is there a quota limit for a Spot Instance?

Yes. An account can create a maximum of 20 Spot Instances in each region. To increase the quota limit, submit a ticket.

Which instance types and regions support Spot Instances?

Spot Instances are supported by three instance types (Basic E1, General Purpose N2, and General Purpose N3) and the regions where the instance types can be deployed.

Can the configuration of a Spot Instance be changed?

Spot Instances do not support configuration change.

Do Spot Instances support system reinstallation?

Spot Instances do not support system reinstallation.

Do Spot Instances support "No Fees Upon Shutdown"?

Spot Instances do not support "No Fees Upon Shutdown". If you do not need to use a Spot Instance, you can use snapshots to back up the data and release the instance, and then apply for another Spot Instance when needed.

Can Spot Instances be converted to the Subscription billing mode?

Spot Instances are settled in real time, and cannot be converted to the Subscription billing mode.