Cloud · Flashcard
An EC2 instance is stopped. What are you still billed for?
- AIts attached EBS volumes, which keep existing while it is stopped
- BNothing at all, because billing ends the moment the instance stops
- CThe instance hours, charged at a reduced stopped-state rate per hour
- DIts instance store disks, which are preserved until you terminate it
Why this is the answer
Stopping an instance releases the compute, so instance hours stop — but the EBS volumes still exist and are still billed per GB-month, which is what surprises people about a fleet left stopped for months. Instance store disks are the opposite case: they are discarded on stop, so there is nothing left to charge for.
Official docs