What is Simple Application Server

Simple Application Server is based on ECS compute, storage, and network resources, combined with Alibaba Cloud public images and Marketplace images to provide an efficient application deployment solution. If you are a beginner learning about cloud computing services or a personal developer or SME deploying simple applications, Simple Application Server is recommended.

By choosing Simple Application Server, you can enjoy the following features:

No need to build physical hosts locally, and no need to purchase or configure hardware equipment.

One-stop operation experience, minute-level delivery, and quick deployment.

Cloud computing resources are provided in packages, with favorable pricing and stable performance.

Provides security features such as firewall, HTTPS encrypted access, internal network isolation, and data backup.

Provides O&M features such as resource monitoring, self-diagnosis, and operation logs.

Integrates Alibaba Cloud public images (system images) and Marketplace images (application images), and offers application management features for application images.

Provides industry-standard APIs to improve usability and applicability.

Product Architecture

The product architecture is shown below. You can choose the application or system image that suits your business, specify server performance through packages, and use other Alibaba Cloud services to efficiently build development environments or applications.

 

Simple Application Server is mainly composed of the following components:

1. Package Configuration

Resource Type	Description
Compute Resources	Simple Application Server is based on stable ECS instance specifications, suitable for small Web applications and other lightweight low-load scenarios. If you need other instance types or instances with higher CPU performance requirements (e.g., large applications, video encoding), please use ECS.
Storage Resources	Simple Application Server uses cost-effective system disks that meet mainstream application needs, with relatively stable read/write performance.
Network Resources	Simple Application Server packages provide fixed traffic quotas and public bandwidth, allowing public access. Upon creation, the server is assigned a fixed public IP by default.

Simple Application Server packages compute, storage, and network resources into plans for easy configuration. See the table above for details.

2. Images

Simple Application Server provides the following two image types for you to choose from:

Application Images: These contain applications and related initialization data, required runtime environments, and operating systems. After creating a server using an application image, you can directly use the pre-installed application or customize the configuration according to your business needs. This reduces steps like uploading and installing applications and achieves out-of-the-box usability.

System Images: These contain only the initial operating system, without any application data or environment configuration. After creating a server using a system image, it will be a clean OS environment. You can install applications based on your actual business needs.

In addition, Simple Application Server supports custom image creation.

3. Related Services

Simple Application Server integrates the following Alibaba Cloud services to help you build and manage applications.

VPC (Virtual Private Cloud): Under the same account and region, multiple Simple Application Servers are by default in the same VPC private network. Communication between servers can be achieved through the internal network. Note that internal bandwidth is shared, so its speed is not guaranteed.

Domain Name Resolution: You can bind a domain name and resolve it to the current server’s IP address.

HTTPS Encrypted Access (CA Certificate): By specifying a purchased CA certificate, you can configure HTTPS encrypted access for your Simple Application Server.

Billing

The packages and data disks of Simple Application Server are billed on a subscription basis (monthly or yearly). Excess traffic beyond the package is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Product Comparison

Compared to ECS, Simple Application Server has a lower usage barrier and simpler configuration. It enables you to quickly get started and deploy simple applications or websites, making it more suitable for individual developers, students, and similar users.