VM States and Billing
The billing costs associated with each virtual machine state.
Hyperstack resources are billed according to their state. This guide covers billing behavior for virtual machine states (including ACTIVE, SHUTOFF, and HIBERNATED), along with resource-specific billing during hibernation (such as root disk storage and public IP retention) and transitional states like HIBERNATING and RESTORING. For volume billing, see Volume States and Billing.
VM States and Billing Status Summary
The table below describes the billing costs of virtual machine states.
| Power State | Description | Billing |
|---|---|---|
ACTIVE | The VM is running, and all resources are allocated. This is the standard working state. | Billed |
SHUTOFF | When a VM is stopped, it transitions to a SHUTOFF state, where billing continues for all resources, as they remain reserved exclusively for that VM. To prevent ongoing billing costs, ensure the virtual machine is either HIBERNATED or DELETED. | Billed |
HIBERNATED | When a VM is HIBERNATED, its configuration and root disk data are preserved, and all hardware resources associated with the VM’s flavor are deallocated. Billing continues for the root disk data saved to persistent storage, as well as for the public IP address if you choose to retain it during hibernation; see Default Behavior for Public IPs for details. Any volumes attached to a hibernated VM enter the RESERVED state and continue to be billed at the standard SSV rate, because their data is preserved. To use a volume independently while a VM is hibernated, detach it before hibernating; see Volume States and Billing, Reserved Volumes, and Detaching a Volume. | Partially Billed |
DELETED | The VM is permanently removed, and all resources are de-allocated. | Not Billed |
To learn how to manage the state of your virtual machine, click here.
Hibernated VMs and Billing
Hibernating your VMs when not in use helps save on costs, as the hardware resources from the VM's flavor are de-allocated. The sections below outline which resources continue to incur charges during hibernation and which do not:
Resources Billed vs. Not Billed During Hibernation
| Resource | Billing Status | Details | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| VM Flavor Resources | Not Billed | The flavor resources are de-allocated during hibernation and therefore not billed. This includes CPU, RAM, GPU, and ephemeral disk. | N/A |
| Root Disk Data | Billed | The contents of your root disk are saved to a Shared Storage Volume (SSV), which ensures your VM's operating system and data can be reliably restored. | $0.000096774 per GB/hr (approx. $0.07 per GB/month) |
| Public IP Address | Billed if retained | By default, public IP addresses are released from your VM during hibernation. If you choose to retain the IP, it will remain attached and continue to incur an hourly charge. See Default Behavior for Public IPs for details. | $0.00672 per hour (approx. $0.16/day or ~$5/month) |
Data Storage During Hibernation
The root disk is saved automatically to persistent storage during hibernation to ensure the VM can resume its previous state. However, data stored on ephemeral storage is not saved automatically. To retain ephemeral data, manually back it up to an SSV before hibernation.
The hibernation of VMs can take some time, with the duration varying based on the virtual machine type and the amount of data stored.
When a virtual machine is HIBERNATING, options for further state modification are disabled until the VM reaches a fully HIBERNATED state.
Transitional VM States and Billing
The table below outlines the user-initiated transitional states of virtual machines. There are NO charges for VMs in transitional states. Additionally, the ERROR state, which occurs due to failed operations on the VM, incurs no charges.
| Power state | Description | Billing |
|---|---|---|
HIBERNATING | The VM is transitioning into a HIBERNATED state. | Not Billed |
RESTORING | The VM operating system and software are restarting from HIBERNATION and returning to an ACTIVE state. | Not Billed |
STARTING | The request to start the VM has been accepted. | Not Billed |
STOPPING | The VM is being stopped. This is the transition state between ACTIVE and SHUTOFF. | Not Billed |
REBOOTING | The VM is being restarted, simulating the process of unplugging and rebooting a physical machine. | Not Billed |
CREATING | The request to create the VM has been accepted. | Not Billed |
BUILD | The VM is being built with the specified configuration. | Not Billed |
DELETING | The VM is being deleted. | Not Billed |
ERROR | The VM is stuck in an error state. The last operation on the virtual machine was unsuccessful. | Not Billed |