# Usage Metering

## Overview

For usage-based products, Suger reports metered usage back to Alibaba Cloud Marketplace so buyers are billed for what they consume.

## Metering key types

Suger supports four Alibaba metering key types:

| Type | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| **Frequency** | A count of events or occurrences |
| **Unit** | A quantity of units consumed |
| **Period** | A duration in **hours** |
| **PeriodMin** | A duration in **minutes** |

## Reporting rules

- Usage must be reported within the **current hourly window** — Alibaba buckets metering by the hour.
- Metering can be turned off per integration via the **Usage Metering Disabled** setting.

Suger sends usage to the marketplace's metering API as it is recorded, so your consumption-based charges stay accurate.