---
title: "Terminate or delete a cluster"
description: "End a TIR Slurm Cluster by terminating it to stop compute billing, then delete the record, and learn what happens to your storage, IPs, and login users."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "tir-slurm-cluster"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-slurm-cluster/how-to/terminate-or-delete-a-cluster/"
topic: ["manage-the-cluster"]
---

# Terminate or delete a cluster

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End a TIR Slurm Cluster when you are done with it. **Terminate Cluster** stops compute billing and
keeps the record, and **Delete Cluster** removes the record. The usual order is to terminate first,
keep the record in case you want to clone it, and delete it later.

## Before you begin

- Update permission on Training Clusters to terminate, and the Delete permission to delete.
- Your results on a PFS or SFS mount. Running jobs end, and anything outside a mounted volume goes
  with the nodes.
- Every VPC IP on the cluster's **Network & Security** tab finished attaching. TIR refuses both terminate
  and delete while an attach is in progress.

## Choose between terminate and delete

| Question                 | Terminate      | Delete      |
| ------------------------ | -------------- | ----------- |
| Final status             | **Terminated** | **Deleted** |
| Still in the list        | Yes            | No          |
| Can still be cloned      | Yes            | No          |
| Needs an acknowledgement | No             | Yes         |
| Stops compute billing    | Yes            | Yes         |

Terminate first if you might want the same setup again, because a terminated cluster can still be
cloned, while a deleted one is gone for good. See [Clone a cluster](/tir/tir-slurm-cluster/how-to/clone-a-cluster/).

## Terminate the cluster

Terminating is permanent, and a single confirmation ends the cluster. **Terminate Cluster** is
below a divider on the **Actions** menu and is offered in every status.

1. Select **Actions**, then **Terminate Cluster**.
2. Confirm the dialog and select **Terminate**.

The status changes to **Terminating**, then **Terminated**. Terminating:

- Releases the nodes and stops compute billing for them.
- Unmounts your storage volumes and keeps them. They keep billing until you delete them yourself
  under **Storage** in the TIR sidebar.
- Detaches reserved and VPC IPs.
- Turns Login User Management off and keeps members' home directories.
- Keeps the record in the list at **Terminated**, so you can still clone or delete it.

On a committed cluster, the price paid at the start covers the whole term, so nothing is refunded
for the days left. See
[Billing and plans](/tir/tir-slurm-cluster/concepts/billing-and-plans/#convert-to-a-committed-plan).

## Delete the cluster

Deleting is permanent. After deletion the cluster leaves the list, and its record is gone. **Delete Cluster** is labelled **Delete Training Cluster** on the list page and is offered
in every status.

1. Select **Actions**, then **Delete Cluster** (or **Delete Training Cluster** in the list).
2. Tick the acknowledgement for the cluster's name.
3. Select **Delete**.

On an already-terminated cluster, delete is immediate, because the teardown is done, and your
billing stays the same. On any other cluster, deleting runs the termination first. Either way,
storage volumes are unmounted and kept, and members' home directories stay on their volume. Compute
on a **Failed** cluster is free, so you can delete its record whenever you like, after
cloning it if you want to replace it.

## Delete the storage you no longer need

Terminating and deleting keep your data. Open **Storage** in the TIR sidebar, review the volumes the
cluster used, and delete the ones you are done with, because storage bills until you delete it.
Reserved IPs are billed separately from the cluster too; see [Delete a reserved
IP](/tir/tir-reserved-ip/how-to/delete-a-reserved-ip/).

Once you have deleted the volumes and reserved IPs you are done with, billing for this cluster stops,
apart from anything you chose to keep. If terminate
or delete is refused, see [Troubleshooting TIR Slurm
Cluster](/tir/tir-slurm-cluster/troubleshooting/tir-slurm-cluster/).