spot instance
termcloud
Spare cloud capacity sold cheaply on the condition that it can be taken back with little warning.
It is the clearest example of price expressing a guarantee: the same machine costs a fraction of the on-demand rate because the provider keeps the right to reclaim it. That makes it excellent for work that can be interrupted and restarted, and a trap for anything holding state. Designing for it is the same discipline as designing for failure, which is why teams that use it well tend to have better recovery behaviour everywhere else.
Also known as: preemptible