---
title: "Node states"
description: "How a node moves between Running, Powered off, and Stopped, and how locks and recovery mode affect that."
content_type: "concept"
product: "node"
platform: "MyAccount"
url: "/myaccount/node/concepts/node-states/"
---

# Node states

A node is always in one main state, usually **Running** or **Powered off**. It can also carry
extra flags, like locked or in recovery mode, on top of that state. Every action you
can take, from a reboot to a plan change, checks both the main state and those flags before
it lets you proceed.

## Running, Powered off, and Stopped

Every node starts **Running** once it finishes creating. From there:

- **Power Off** is available only while a node is **Running**, and turns it into **Powered
  off**.
- **Start** brings a node back from **Powered off**, on every family. E1-series nodes have a
  third state, **Stopped**, and **Start** also brings them back from there.
- **Stop** is offered only for E1-series nodes, from **Running** or **Powered off**; other
  families show **Not allowed to stop node.** if you try.

On an E1-series node, the difference between Powered off and Stopped is what happens to its
reserved resources. A powered-off node keeps them reserved, so starting it again is quick. A
stopped node's resources are freed and have to be reallocated, so starting it again takes
longer. Once an E1 node is Stopped, no other action is available on it until you start it
again.

Choose **Power Off** when you expect to start the node again soon and want that restart quick.
Choose **Stop** when you can wait a little longer to start back up, in exchange for pausing compute
charges while the node sits idle.

A powered-off node is still billed until it is **Terminated**, or, for E1-series, until you stop it.
Once stopped, an E1 node's compute charges pause, but you still pay for its storage and any attached
add-ons, like volumes or reserved IPs.

See [Power off and start a node](/myaccount/node/how-to/power-off-and-start-a-node/) and
[Stop a node](/myaccount/node/how-to/stop-a-node/) for the steps.

## Locked or in recovery mode

On top of its main state, a node can be locked or in recovery mode. These flags sit alongside
Running or Powered off rather than replacing it. Turning on recovery mode, for example, changes
only what the node boots from; its state stays the same. Every action checks all of these together with the main state. A node can look Running and
still refuse an action because it is locked or recovering. If an expected action is greyed out and
the main state looks right, one of these flags is almost always why.

See [Lock a node](/myaccount/node/how-to/lock-a-node/) and
[Enable recovery mode on a node](/myaccount/node/how-to/enable-recovery-mode/) for what each one
does and how to turn it on or off.