Hourly billing

What hourly billing is #

Hourly instances are prepaid but metered: instead of choosing a fixed plan and cycle, you
configure processors, memory and storage and pay for the time the instance runs. The deploy
form shows an Hourly Rate and an approximate monthly value, plus a Monthly Cap in
the order summary.

Hourly billing is useful for short-lived workloads, testing and projects that are idle for
long periods and can be stopped.

How charges accrue #

• The rate is based on the resources you selected at deploy time.
• Charges are drawn from your Credit balance for the time the instance runs.
• Deleting an instance ends it; there is no dormant hourly instance left behind.
• The Monthly Cap in the order summary shows the ceiling for an hourly configuration.

Resources cannot be resized on an hourly instance after deployment. To change processors,
memory or storage, deploy a new instance with the desired configuration.

Renewal and extending #

The instance Overview tab shows Next Renewal with an Extend Instance action and
the Auto-Renew toggle.

• Keep Auto-Renew enabled if the instance must keep running; the panel then charges the
  next period from your balance.
• Use Extend Instance to pay for additional time. On an hourly instance it becomes
  available once the instance is suspended; it buys one more hour at the current hourly
  rate and brings the instance back.
• If the balance cannot cover a renewal and auto-renew is on, the instance is suspended.

Zero balance, suspension and deletion #

• When the balance cannot cover the next hour, the instance expires and is suspended. A
  warning email is sent about 30 minutes before an hourly expiry, unless the instance will
  auto-renew from the balance.
• A suspended instance does not serve traffic. Top up and restore it, or destroy it if you
  no longer need it.
• If it is not renewed, the instance is permanently deleted with its data after 7 days
  from expiry.
• Destroy Instance is in Danger Zone and requires typing the instance name. It is
  permanent.

Destroying an hourly instance is the normal way to stop paying for it. Take a backup or
export your data first: hourly instances cannot use the backup add-on, so the data is gone
with the instance.

Limits of hourly instances #

Feature	Hourly
Add-ons (backups, extra IPs, private network)	Not available
Private networking	Not available
Automatic Backups	Not available
Promo codes	Not available
Resizing resources	Not possible after deploy
Self-service destroy	Available, with typed confirmation

Deploy a monthly instance when you need private networking, backups or add-ons. Monthly plans
are paid per cycle and support discounts; hourly plans are metered per hour.

Switching between Monthly and Hourly #

On a monthly instance the Overview tab has a Billing Scheme action. It changes the
prepaid billing cycle (longer periods at a discount), is free, and takes effect at the next
renewal. Billing Scheme is not available on hourly instances; to change billing model, contact
support.