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    Object Storage Service:Overview

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    Object Storage Service:Overview

    Last Updated:Apr 21, 2025

    The default billing method for Object Storage Service (OSS) resources is pay-as-you-go. However, resource plans can be more cost-effective than this billing method. To reduce costs, we recommend that you purchase resource plans. Resource plans can be used to offset resource fees, such as storage and traffic fees. If a resource plan expires or the actual resource usage exceeds the quota of the resource plan, the pay-as-you-go billing method is automatically used.

    Note

    OSS provides free resource quotas for specific features. For more information, see Free OSS resource plans.

    Resource plan types

    Resource plan

    Description

    Storage plan

    Offsets the storage fees of OSS objects.

    Standard (ZRS) storage plan

    Offsets the storage fees of Standard zone-redundant storage (ZRS) objects.

    Standard (LRS) storage plan

    Offsets the storage fees of Standard locally redundant storage (LRS) objects.

    IA (LRS) storage plan

    Offsets the storage fees of Infrequent Access (IA) LRS objects.

    Cold Archive (LRS) storage plan

    Offsets the storage fees of Cold Archive LRS objects.

    Data transfer plan

    Offsets OSS traffic fees.

    Outbound traffic plan

    Offsets the traffic fees generated when data is transferred from OSS to the client over the Internet.

    Transfer acceleration plan

    Offsets the transfer acceleration fees generated when OSS is accessed by using acceleration endpoints.

    DDoS protection basic plan

    Offsets the fees that are generated when Anti-DDoS Proxy instance resources are reserved.

    Purchase suggestions

    Suggestion 1: Select resource plans based on your business scenarios

    Typically, users purchase storage and outbound traffic plans together. Storage plans are used to offset the storage fees of OSS objects. Outbound traffic plans are used to offset the fees that are generated when OSS objects are accessed over the Internet.

    Scenario

    Resource plan

    Text, images, audio files, and videos are stored as Standard (LRS) objects in OSS.

    Standard (LRS) storage plan

    OSS objects are browsed or downloaded over the Internet.

    Outbound traffic plan

    For more information about the application scenarios of different resource plans, see Resource plan types.

    Suggestion 2: Select resource plans based on specific billable items in your bill

    You can select resource plans based on specific billable items on the Details tab of the Bills page.

    For example, you can purchase Standard (LRS) plans to offset the storage fees of Standard (LRS) objects.

    计费项

    Suggestion 3: Select resource plans based on your resource usage

    You can select resource plans based on the usage of specific billable items on the Details tab of the Bills page.

    For example, if the storage usage of Standard LRS objects is 40 GB per hour, you can purchase a Standard (LRS) storage plan that has a capacity of 40 GB to offset the storage fees.

    Suggestion 4: Purchase resource plans based on the reasons why existing resource plans are not used to offset fees and the pay-as-you-go billing method is used

    1. You can view the types of billable items and the usage and consumption time of resources on the Billing Details tab of the Bill Details page.

    2. You can view the types, number, and effective time of resource plans that are in effect on the Resource Packages tab of the Manage Reserved Instances page.

    3. Compare the billable items and resource plans.

      Sample issue

      Solution

      The bill contains fees for outbound traffic over the Internet (NetworkOut), but the resource plan list does not contain outbound traffic plans.

      Purchase outbound traffic plans.

      The bill contains fees for storage usage of Standard (LRS) objects, but the resource plan list does not contain Standard (LRS) storage plans.

      Purchase Standard (LRS) storage plans.

      The storage usage of Standard LRS objects in the bill is 100 GB per hour, but the capacity of the Standard (LRS) storage plan in the resource plan list is 40 GB.

      Upgrade the capacity of the Standard (LRS) storage plan to 100 GB.

      The bill is generated before you purchase resource plans.

      None.

    Offset limits

    • Resource plans can be used to offset only the fees for the current Alibaba Cloud account and cannot be used across accounts.

    • OSS resource plans are specific to OSS. You cannot use an OSS resource plan to offset fees that another service incurs.

    • Resource plans can be used to offset only the fees generated after the resource plans are purchased.

    • Resource plans of a specific type can be used to offset only the fees for billable items that are specific to the resource plans. For more information, see the Resource plan types section of this topic.

    • A region-specific OSS resource plan can be used to offset the fees for the specified billable item in the region. A resource plan for the Chinese mainland can be used to offset fees for the applicable billable items in regions in the Chinese mainland. For more information, see Regions.

    Offset methods

    Offset method

    Resource plan

    Example

    Fixed total amount

    • Storage plan

    • DDoS protection basic plan

    A fixed quota is available every hour. If the fixed quota is not exhausted within one hour, the unused quota cannot be transferred to the next hour.

    • Storage plans

      For example, a resource plan that has a capacity of 10 TB can be used to offset fees for the storage usage of up to 10 TB per hour.

      • If the storage usage is 9 TB in the first hour, the resource plan can be used to fully offset the storage fees.

      • If the storage usage is 10 TB in the second hour, the resource plan can still be used to fully offset the storage fees.

      • If the storage usage is 11 TB in the third hour, the resource plan can be used to offset the storage fees for the first 10 TB. You are charged for the excess 1 TB on a pay-as-you-go basis.

    • DDoS protection basic plans

      For example, if you purchase two DDoS protection basic plans that have a validity period of 6 months for a single Anti-DDoS Proxy instance in a region, you can use the plans to offset the fees for reserved Anti-DDoS Proxy instances (SecReserved) and the fees for the remaining duration of Anti-DDoS Proxy instances that are released within the minimum usage duration (SecEarlyReleased) that incur each hour in this region within the 6 months.

      • If one Anti-DDoS Proxy instance exists in the first hour, the DDoS protection basic plans can be used to fully offset the fees for the Anti-DDoS Proxy instance.

      • If two Anti-DDoS Proxy instances exist in the second hour, the DDoS protection basic plans can be used to fully offset the fees for the Anti-DDoS Proxy instances.

      • If three Anti-DDoS Proxy instances exist in the third hour, the DDoS protection basic plans can be used to fully offset the fees for two Anti-DDoS Proxy instances. You are charged for the excess Anti-DDoS Proxy instance on a pay-as-you-go basis.

    Monthly subscription

    Outbound traffic plan

    A fixed quota is available every month. The full quota is restored on the first day of the next month. The unused quota cannot be transferred to the next month.

    For example, if you purchase an outbound traffic plan that has a capacity of 100 GB and a validity period of 6 months, you can use the traffic plan to offset fees for 100 GB of outbound traffic over the Internet per month within the 6 months. The excess part is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.

    Decreasing total capacity

    Transfer acceleration plan

    Transfer acceleration plans are used to offset the fees of actual resource usage until the quota is used up or until the plans expire.

    For example, if you purchase a transfer acceleration plan that has a capacity of 5 TB and a validity period of 3 months, you can use the plan to offset fees for 5 TB of transfer acceleration traffic within the 3 months. The excess part is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.

    Regions

    When you purchase resource plans except DDoS protection basic plans, you must select the region in which you want to use the resource plans. Note: DDoS protection basic plans take effect in all regions. Region-specific resource plans are available only in specific regions.

    Note

    You can use the DDoS protection basic plan to offset the fees generated for Anti-DDoS Proxy instances in different regions. One DDoS protection basic plan can be used to offset the fees generated only for a single instance in a single region within the same hour. If fees are generated in multiple regions within the same hour, you can purchase multiple DDoS protection basic plans to offset the fees.

    Region type

    Description

    All regions

    Offset resource usage fees in all regions.

    Specific regions ①

    Offset resource usage fees only in selected regions. ②

    Regions in the Chinese mainland ①

    Offset resource usage fees in regions in the Chinese mainland. ③

    Transfer acceleration regions

    Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads or downloads. The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets across different regions.

    Regions for transfer acceleration M2M resource plans

    Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccM2MIn) or downloads (AccM2MOut). The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets across regions in the Chinese mainland.

    Regions for transfer acceleration M2O_O2M resource plans

    Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccM2OIn or AccO2MIn) or downloads (AccM2OOut or AccO2MOut). The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets in regions in the Chinese mainland from regions outside the Chinese mainland or in regions outside the Chinese mainland from regions in the Chinese mainland.

    Regions for transfer acceleration O2O resource plans

    Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccO2OIn) or downloads (AccO2OOut). The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets in regions outside the Chinese mainland from regions outside the Chinese mainland.

    ① You can purchase resource plans for the Chinese mainland and region-specific resource plans at the same time. Region-specific resource plans are preferentially used to offset fees. After the quota is exhausted, fees are offset based on resource plans for the Chinese mainland. If the actual usage still exceeds the quota of resource plans for the Chinese mainland, you are billed for the excess usage on a pay-as-you-go basis.

    ② For example, resource plans for the China (Qingdao) region can be used to offset only the resource usage fees that are generated in the China (Qingdao) region.

    ③ For more information about the regions that are supported by resource plans for the Chinese mainland, see Regions supported by resource plans for the Chinese mainland.

    Regions supported by resource plans for the Chinese mainland

    Resource plan

    Region

    Standard (ZRS) storage plan

    China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Chengdu), China (Nanjing-Local Region), and China (Fuzhou-Local Region)

    Outbound traffic plan

    Supported operations

    Note

    In the following table, a check mark (√) indicates that the operation is supported by the corresponding resource plan, and a cross (×) indicates that the operation is not supported by the corresponding resource plan.

    Resource plan

    Purchase

    Upgrade

    Renewal

    Repeated purchases ①

    Details

    Standard (ZRS) storage plan

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    Standard (LRS) storage plan

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    ×

    ✓

    IA (LRS) storage plan

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    ×

    ✓

    Cold Archive (LRS) storage plan

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    Outbound traffic plan

    ✓

    ×

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    Transfer acceleration plan

    ✓

    ×

    ×

    ✓

    ✓

    DDoS protection basic plan

    ✓

    ×

    ✓

    ✓

    ✓

    ①: Purchase of multiple resource plans of the same type. If you purchase multiple resource plans of the same type, the resource plan that has the earliest expiration time is used to offset fees first. For example, you purchased an outbound traffic plan for the Chinese mainland that has a capacity of 1 TB and a 1-year validity period on February 1, 2022. On March 1, 2022, you purchased an outbound traffic plan for the Chinese mainland that has a capacity of 1 TB and a 3-month validity period. In this case, the outbound traffic plan for the Chinese mainland purchased on March 1, 2022 is used to offset fees first.

    References