Suspension is usually automated
Cloud providers run automated systems that watch for abuse, fraud and payment problems. Most suspensions are triggered by one of these rather than by a person reviewing your account.
That means the behaviour that triggers them is fairly predictable, and so is avoiding it.
Payment failure
The most common cause by a distance. A card expires, a payment is declined, or an invoice goes unpaid, and the account is restricted.
It is also the easiest to avoid: keep a valid payment method on file, make sure billing notifications go to an address someone reads, and pay attention to the first warning rather than the third.
Abuse originating from your resources
If a server on your account starts sending spam, scanning other hosts or participating in an attack, the provider will act. This frequently happens to people who did nothing wrong themselves, because the server was compromised.
- Keep systems patched, particularly anything internet-facing
- Do not expose management ports to the whole internet
- Use key-based SSH authentication and disable password login
- Monitor outbound traffic, which is how you notice a compromise early
Unexpected resource patterns
Sudden large-scale provisioning, particularly of GPU or high-CPU instances in unusual regions, is the signature of a stolen credential being used for mining. Automated systems flag it.
If you genuinely need to scale up quickly, requesting a quota increase in advance both removes the technical blocker and creates a record that the activity is expected.
Terms of service violations
Each provider prohibits certain uses. Common ones include unsolicited bulk email, hosting malware or phishing content, and using the service to attack other systems.
Read the acceptable use policy for the platform you are on. It is short, and it is the document your account is judged against.
Reduce the damage if it happens
Suspension is much less painful if you are prepared for it.
- Keep backups somewhere outside the account, ideally with a different provider.
- Keep infrastructure defined as code so it can be rebuilt elsewhere.
- Do not run every environment inside one account.
- Make sure the account’s contact address is monitored, since warnings arrive there first.
Related cloud accounts
This guide applies across providers. The cloud account catalogue lists every platform with its configurations and prices, and the comparison table puts them side by side.
Further reading
- Google Cloud vs Alibaba Cloud: Which Cloud Account Should You Buy?
- OVHcloud vs UpCloud: Which Cloud Account Should You Buy?
- AWS vs Google Cloud: Which Cloud Account Should You Buy?
- Hetzner Accounts: What You Get and How to Choose a Configuration
Frequently asked questions
Often, particularly for payment issues. Suspensions for confirmed abuse are harder and sometimes permanent.
Payment problems usually generate several notices. Abuse suspensions can be immediate, which is why contact details must be monitored.
Backups held outside the account. Everything else is recoverable if the data is safe somewhere the suspension does not reach.
