One of the most common questions we get is: "How does your pricing work?" Let's demystify CaspiCloud's quota-based pricing model.
The Problem with Traditional Cloud Billing
Traditional cloud providers charge based on usage: CPU hours, bandwidth, API calls, storage I/O operations. While this seems fair, it creates several challenges:
Unpredictable Bills
Your monthly bill can vary wildly based on traffic spikes, background processes, or unexpected workloads. Budgeting becomes a guessing game.
Surprise Costs
Forgot to shut down a test server? Left a process running? Your bill might double. Many businesses have horror stories of unexpected cloud costs.
Complex Pricing
Trying to calculate your costs requires a PhD in cloud economics. Different rates for different regions, instance types, storage tiers, network egress—it's a maze.
How Quota-Based Pricing Works
CaspiCloud uses a simpler model: you pay for what you provision, not what you use.
What's a Quota?
A quota is your allocated capacity:
- vCPUs: Number of virtual CPU cores
- RAM: Amount of memory (GB)
- Storage: Volume capacity (GB)
- Floating IPs: Public IP addresses
Think of it like renting an apartment. You pay monthly rent based on the apartment size, not based on how many hours you spend inside or how many times you turn on the lights.
Transparent, Predictable Pricing
Minimum Spend: ₼40/month This covers a basic quota suitable for small applications and development environments.
Example Quotas:
- Small: 4 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, 100GB storage
- Medium: 8 vCPUs, 16GB RAM, 250GB storage
- Large: 16 vCPUs, 32GB RAM, 500GB storage
(Visit our pricing page for detailed quota packages and custom options)
No Surprise Bills
Your monthly cost is fixed and predictable:
- Create 10 VMs or 1 VM—same cost (as long as you're within your quota)
- High traffic day? Same cost
- Run 24/7 or only business hours? Same cost
As long as you stay within your provisioned quota, your bill doesn't change.
How Quotas Work in Practice
Let's walk through a practical example.
Your Quota: 8 vCPUs, 16GB RAM, 200GB storage
You can use this quota however you want:
Option A: One large VM
- 1x VM with 8 vCPUs, 16GB RAM, 200GB storage
Option B: Multiple smaller VMs
- 1x VM with 4 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, 100GB storage (production app)
- 2x VMs with 2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM, 50GB storage each (staging, testing)
Option C: Development environment
- 4x VMs with 2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM, 50GB storage (microservices)
The cost is the same—you're just organizing your resources differently.
When to Upgrade Your Quota
You'll know it's time to upgrade when:
1. You Hit Your Limits
OpenStack will prevent you from creating resources beyond your quota. You'll see clear error messages indicating which resource limit you've reached.
2. You're Planning Growth
Adding new services? Expecting traffic growth? Upgrade proactively to avoid hitting limits during critical moments.
3. You Need More Flexibility
More quota means more room to experiment, test new configurations, and run parallel environments.
Quota Management Best Practices
Start Small, Scale Up
Don't over-provision. Start with a quota that matches your current needs, then upgrade as you grow. Our minimum ₼40/month package is perfect for getting started.
Monitor Your Usage
OpenStack's Horizon dashboard shows your current quota usage:
- vCPUs: 6/8 used
- RAM: 12GB/16GB used
- Storage: 150GB/200GB used
This helps you plan when to upgrade.
Leave Headroom
Don't run at 100% capacity. Leave 20-30% headroom for burst capacity, testing, and emergencies.
Clean Up Unused Resources
Delete test VMs, unused volumes, and old snapshots. Even though they don't increase your bill, they reduce your available capacity.
Comparing to Usage-Based Pricing
Let's compare monthly costs for a typical small business application:
CaspiCloud (Quota-Based):
- 8 vCPUs, 16GB RAM, 200GB storage
- Fixed monthly cost (see pricing page)
- Predictable budgeting
- No surprises
International Provider (Usage-Based):
- Base instance cost
-
- Bandwidth costs (variable)
-
- I/O operations (variable)
-
- Support fees (variable)
-
- Data transfer fees (variable)
-
- API call charges (variable)
- = Unknown final bill
With CaspiCloud, you know exactly what you'll pay every month.
Enterprise Custom Quotas
Need more than our standard packages? We offer custom quotas for enterprises:
- Dedicated resources: Guaranteed capacity isolated from other tenants
- Custom SLAs: Tailored uptime and support agreements
- Volume discounts: Better rates for large deployments
- Flexible contracts: Annual commitments with cost savings
Contact our team to discuss enterprise options.
Getting Started
Ready to experience predictable cloud pricing?
- Review our pricing page: See standard quota packages
- Contact us: Discuss your requirements
- Receive credentials: Get access to your quota
- Start building: Create VMs within your limits
- Scale when ready: Upgrade your quota as you grow
No credit card required upfront. Talk to our team first.
Common Questions
Q: What happens if I exceed my quota? A: OpenStack prevents you from provisioning more resources. You'll need to either delete existing resources or upgrade your quota.
Q: Can I temporarily increase my quota? A: Yes! Contact us for short-term quota increases for special events, migrations, or seasonal traffic.
Q: Do you charge for bandwidth? A: Standard bandwidth is included in your quota. Excessive bandwidth usage may incur additional charges—we'll notify you before this happens.
Q: Can I downgrade my quota? A: Yes, at the end of your billing cycle, as long as you're not actively using resources beyond the lower quota.
Still have questions? Our team is here to help at [email protected] or via our contact page.