# Alibaba Cloud

## Creating an account

1\) Go to [Alibaba Cloud website](https://www.alibabacloud.com/en?_p_lc=1)

2\) Click on **"Free Trial"** in the top right corner

3\) Select **"Individual Account"**

4\) Enter your Email address and set your password

5\) Select your country/region and enter your phone number. Then, request for a verification code and enter the verification code sent to your phone number

6\) Select **"Individual Account"** again, fill in your billing information, verify your email address, and then submit the form

7\) Add your credit card details. **Note:** You will not be billed if you only select products within the **Free Tier**

8\) Once you have successfully created an account, click on **"Free Trial"**

<figure><img src="/files/FZGZ9qOrAdnlZQWy2wWC" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Spin up your free VM

1\) Under the **Free Trial** page, scroll down and look for the **ECS u1 Instance.** You will be able to run one of this instance for free for 3 months.&#x20;

<figure><img src="/files/WXam0lmjw6YBnDabwTCG" alt="" width="342"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="danger" %}
However, as the size is too small even for a testnet validator node, you can only practice the configuration steps without actually running the services using this.
{% endhint %}


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