Understanding Scaleway Instance states
Scaleway Instances can be in several lifecycle states, each reflecting how the underlying compute resources are allocated and billed.
Understanding these states helps you choose the most appropriate one for your workload, optimise costs, and avoid unexpected interruptions.
The table below summarizes the official states, their behaviour, and the associated billing implications. Use it as a quick reference when managing your Instances through the Console, API, or CLI.
| State | Description |
|---|---|
| Running | The Instance is fully active and consumes compute resources. This is the default after creation or after a power‑on. Full billing applies (compute + storage + IP). |
| Stopped | The Instance is halted and the underlying hypervisor is released. Compute billing stops, but you continue to pay for any attached storage (local volumes that you chose to keep or Block Storage volumes) and for any Flexible IPs. When stopping you can: • Keep local storage – it remains attached and is billed as storage. • Archive local storage – the data is snapshotted to the volume store; the Instance can be restarted later and the snapshot is restored automatically. This is the recommended option for long‑term cost savings. |
| Error / Locked | Temporary or administrative states (e.g., during a resize, rescue mode, or when the Instance is locked to prevent accidental actions). No billing changes occur while the Instance is in these states; you are billed according to the underlying resources that remain allocated. |
| Deleted | The Instance and its local volumes are permanently removed. Flexible IPs that were attached are preserved unless you release them manually. Once deleted, the resource no longer appears in the API/Console. |
Additional notes
- Protected flag – Instances have a
protectedattribute that can be enabled to prevent accidental stop or delete operations. This is not a lifecycle state; it is a safety setting you can toggle in the Console or via the API. - Billing summary
- Running: compute + storage + IP.
- Stopped (keep local storage): storage + IP (no compute).
- Stopped (archive local storage): snapshot storage + IP (no compute).
- Deleted: no ongoing charges (except for any IPs you keep).
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