Automatically Start or Stop an OCI Compute Instance Using OCI Resource Scheduler

In cloud environments, compute instances are often created for development, testing, learning, troubleshooting, and temporary workloads. These instances may not be required to run all the time. If they continue running when not needed, they can increase unnecessary compute usage.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) provides Resource Scheduler, which helps automatically start and stop supported OCI resources based on a schedule. This can help reduce the cost of compute and database resources by stopping them when they are not required and restarting them when they are needed again.  In this article, we will create an OCI Resource Scheduler schedule to automatically stop a compute instance. We will then validate that the instance state changes based on the configured schedule.

We will use below OCI services in this article :

OCI Compute
OCI Resource Scheduler
IAM Policy

Resource Scheduler creates an automated start/stop scheduling function for supported resources across a tenancy based on the schedules created.

Prerequisites

Before starting this activity, the following items should be available:

OCI tenancy access
Required compartment
Running compute instance
Permission to create Resource Scheduler schedule
Permission for Resource Scheduler to manage the target compute instance

For this article, we will use an existing compute instance and create a schedule to stop it automatically.

Resource Scheduler needs permission to perform actions on the selected resources. If the required policy is not available, schedule creation or execution may fail. The policy requirement depends on the target resource and compartment.

A policy can be created based on the access model used in the tenancy. Below policies are required for resource scheduler.

Allow <Group> to inspect resource-schedule in tenancy

Allow any-user to manage <resource_type (instance, database, and others)> in compartment id <target_compartment_ocid> where all {request.principal.type='resourceschedule',request.principal.id='ocid_of_resourceschedule'}

 Step 1: Review the Compute Instance

First, review the compute instance that will be used for testing.

From the OCI Console, navigate to:

Compute → Instances

Open the target compute instance and confirm that the instance is in Running state.

Example instance name:

private-linux-instance

For our exercise we will configure Resource scheduler to automatically stop this running instance.

Step 2: Open Resource Scheduler

From the OCI Console, navigate to Resource Scheduler.
Governance & Administration -> Resource scheduler

Open the Schedules page and select Create schedule.

Step 3: Create Schedule

Provide a meaningful schedule name.

Example:

stop-compute-instance-schedule

Add a description.

Example:

Automatically stop the demo compute instance for testing Resource Scheduler.

Select the compartment where the schedule should be created.

Step 4: Select Schedule Action

In the schedule action section, choose the action that should be performed.

For this article, select:

Action: Stop
Resource Type: Compute Instance

This tells Resource Scheduler to stop the selected compute instance when the schedule runs.

If the requirement is to start a stopped instance, a separate schedule can be created with the Start action.

Step 5: Select Target Compute Instance

In the target resource section, select the compute instance that should be stopped.

Example target resource:

private-linux-instance

Validate that the correct compartment, region, and resource are selected. You can see Autonomous database in the screenshot. This tenancy autonomous database as well and it can he scheduled through Resource scheduler.

It is important to choose the correct instance because the schedule will perform the selected action on the target resource.

The next step is about Apply Parameters.

That Apply parameters page is mainly used when the scheduled resource/action needs an additional input payload. For Start or Stop an OCI Compute Instance, normally no JSON body is required. Resource Scheduler can start or stop the selected compute instance based on the action and resource selected in the previous steps.

Step 6: Configure Schedule Time

Now configure the schedule time.

For quick validation, select a time a few minutes ahead of the current time.

Example:

Current time: 5:43 PM
Schedule action: Stop
Schedule time: 5:46 PM

This allows us to validate the schedule execution quickly.

Depending on the console options, the schedule can be configured as a one-time schedule or recurring schedule. For a blog validation, a one-time schedule is easier to test and explain.

Step 7: Review and Create Schedule

Review the complete schedule configuration.

Validate the following details:

Schedule name
Action
Target compute instance
Schedule time

After confirming the details, create the schedule. The schedule should appear in the Resource Scheduler schedules list.

Step 8: Wait for Schedule Execution

After the schedule is created, wait until the configured schedule time is reached. Before the schedule execution, the compute instance should still be in:

Running

After the schedule runs, Resource Scheduler should initiate the stop operation.The instance state should change from: Running to Stopping and then Stopped.

Step 9: Validate Compute Instance State

After the scheduled time passes, open the compute instance details page again.

Validate that the instance state changed to:

Stopped

This confirms that Resource Scheduler successfully stopped the compute instance automatically.

Step 10: Review Schedule Status

Open the Resource Scheduler schedule details page and review the work requests page.

This helps confirm that the schedule was executed.

OCI Resource Scheduler provides a simple way to automate start and stop operations for supported resources. This is useful for development, testing, and lab environments where compute instances do not need to run continuously. It helps reduce manual effort and supports basic cost optimization without custom scripts or external automation tools.