---
Title: Create group
URL Source: https://company-skill.com/p/ess/ess-create-group
Language: en
Description: You want to create an Auto Scaling group in Alibaba Cloud to automatically adjust the number of ECS instances based on demand. This involves defining core parameters like instance limits, network…
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# Create group

Part of **Auto Scaling (ESS)**. Route queries via `POST https://company-skill.com/api/route`.

## What You Want to Do

You want to create an Auto Scaling group in Alibaba Cloud to automatically adjust the number of ECS instances based on demand. This involves defining core parameters like instance limits, network settings, and scaling behavior.

**Typical User Questions**:
- Can I create a scaling group via API?

## Decision Tree

Pick the best path for your situation:

- **If** you are using the Alibaba Cloud Console and want to configure **Create Scaling Group**, **Minimum Number of Instances**, **Maximum Number of Instances**, **VPC**, **vSwitch**, **Billing Method**, **Instance Configuration Sources**, **Scaling Rules**, or **Lifecycle Hooks** through a graphical interface → Use (go to *ess/ess-instance*)
- **If** you need to call **create_scaling_group**, **create_scaling_group_with_launch_template**, **AttachDBInstances**, or **DetachDBInstances** as part of CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, or programmatic workflows involving **API operations** or the **ForceAttach parameter** → Use API (go to *ess/ess-instance*)
- **Otherwise (default)** → Start with **** if you're new to Auto Scaling or only creating one group; it provides guided configuration without coding.

## Path Comparison

| Path | Best For | Complexity | Code Required | Automation | Key Fact | Detail Skill |
|------|----------|------------|---------------|------------|----------|-------------|
| Console / Dashboard | low | No | No | CI/CD | `ess/guide/ess-instance` |
| API | CI/CD | medium | Yes | Yes | API | `ess/api/ess-instance` |

## Path Details

### Path 1: Console / Dashboard
**Brief Description**: Through the Alibaba Cloud Console, you can create and manage elastic scaling groups by configuring key components including **Create Scaling Group**, **Minimum Number of Instances**, **Maximum Number of Instances**, **VPC**, **vSwitch**, **Billing Method**, **Instance Configuration Sources**, **Scaling Rules**, **Event-triggered Tasks**, and **Lifecycle Hooks**.

**Key technical facts**:
- Billing: ECSECISLBApsaraDB RDS
- Auto-scaling: Yes

### Path 2: API

**Best For**: CI/CD

**Brief Description**: This path uses **API operations** such as **create_scaling_group** and **create_scaling_group_with_launch_template** to programmatically define scaling groups. It also supports database integration via **AttachDBInstances** and **DetachDBInstances**, including use of the **ForceAttach parameter** for forced attachment scenarios.

**Key technical facts**:
- Billing: ECSECISLBApsaraDB RDS
- Auto-scaling: Yes

## FAQ

Q: Which path should I start with?
A: If you're new to Auto Scaling or only creating one group, start with ****. If you're building infrastructure-as-code or managing many groups, choose **API**.

Q: What if I need to attach an ApsaraDB RDS instance but used the console path?
A: You can still attach RDS via the console, but if you later need to script this using **AttachDBInstances** or use the **ForceAttach parameter**, you’ll have to switch to the API path — the console doesn’t expose all API-level options.

Q: What if I chose the console path but later want to automate scaling group creation across 50 environments?
A: You’ll hit a major limitation: the console doesn’t support automation or bulk operations. You’d need to redo all work via **create_scaling_group** API calls, losing initial effort.

Q: Does the API path support all instance types like ecs.g6.large or ecs.c6.xlarge?
A: The fact cards confirm these instance types are supported in the console path. The API path’s supported instance types are not documented in its fact card — consult the `ess/api/ess-instance` detail skill for full compatibility.

Q: Can I modify the VPC after creating a scaling group via the console?
A: No — the console path has a hard limitation: **VPC**. If your architecture might change networks, plan carefully or consider API-based templating for reproducibility.

Q: Is there a way to use launch templates with the console?
A: Yes — **Instance Configuration Sources** in the console allow selecting launch templates. But for programmatic control over templates, use **create_scaling_group_with_launch_template** in the API path.

## Related queries

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Part of [Auto Scaling (ESS)](https://company-skill.com/p/ess.md) · https://company-skill.com/llms.txt