MicroVM Lifecyclepublic
Last verified 9 Oct 2026
DigitalOcean MicroVMs are lightweight virtual machines that run a container image in an isolated kernel, pause automatically when idle, and resume on the next request with memory, files, and processes intact.
A DigitalOcean MicroVM moves between running and paused states with your traffic. You choose a MicroVM’s settings when you create it, and the platform pauses and resumes it based on activity. This page describes each state and what triggers the transitions between them.
MicroVM States
A MicroVM is in one of the following states:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
creating |
The MicroVM is being provisioned. Its endpoint is not ready yet. |
running |
The MicroVM is running and serving requests. |
pausing |
The MicroVM is being paused. |
paused |
The MicroVM’s processes are suspended. Its memory, files, and processes are preserved. |
resuming |
The MicroVM is being resumed from a paused state. |
terminating |
The MicroVM is being deleted. |
terminated |
The MicroVM is deleted. |
failed |
The MicroVM could not be created or stopped working. The failure_reason field explains why. |
unknown |
The platform cannot determine the MicroVM’s state. |
Auto-Pause and Auto-Resume
A MicroVM pauses automatically after it receives no traffic for its idle timeout. The idle timeout defaults to 5 minutes and can be up to 4 hours. You cannot turn auto-pause off.
When auto-resume is on, which is the default, any of the following resumes a paused MicroVM:
- An HTTP request to the MicroVM’s endpoint.
- A command run with
doctl compute microvm execor the API’sexecendpoint. - A console session opened with
doctl compute microvm consoleor the API’sconsoleendpoint.
Requests, commands, and consoles wait until the MicroVM is running. If you turn auto-resume off when you create the MicroVM, it stays paused until you resume it yourself, and requests to a paused MicroVM fail.
You can also pause and resume a MicroVM manually. A paused MicroVM does not expire. It stays paused until you resume or delete it. For instructions, see How to Pause and Resume a MicroVM.
Settings Are Fixed at Creation
You set every MicroVM setting when you create it, including its size, region, image, idle timeout, auto-resume, environment variables, tags, ports, and networking. You cannot change these settings afterward. To use different settings, create a new MicroVM.
A MicroVM cannot use more memory than its size provides, and it does not have swap. When a MicroVM runs out of memory, the guest kernel’s out-of-memory (OOM) killer ends processes.
Billing by State
Compute charges for vCPU and memory accrue per second, only while a MicroVM is running. Storage charges for the MicroVM’s disk accrue whether it is running or paused. A paused MicroVM incurs storage charges only. For rates, see MicroVMs Pricing.