# Cloud Teams
> A Team is an organizational system which groups Accounts together as Team Members and provides consolidated billing on
> its nested Projects.
[[toc]]
Teams within the Cloud Dashboard allow individuals to separate or consolidate Projects and payment methods as well as
manage Projects independently or with other Team Members.
For example, a company can use Teams to organize Projects by department, each with consolidated billing and scoped
access. Similarly, agencies or freelancers with multiple customers can create a Team per client to limit their access
and isolate billing. Teams are free, so create as many as you need to appropriately organize Team Members, Projects, and
payment methods.
See the [Overview](/cloud/overview) to learn how Accounts, Teams and Projects interrelate.
## Create a Team
To create a Team, follow the steps below.
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and click **"Create a Team add"**.\
The Create Team Page will open.
2. Enter a Team Name and Team Slug, then click **"Save"**.
:::tip Team Name and Team Slug
The Team Name is a text name assigned to a Team, used in the Cloud Dashboard. The Team slug lies within the full URL
`https://directus.cloud/TEAM-SLUG/projects`. These are purely organizational, allowing you to easily remember the Team
and link to specific Cloud Dashboards. They do not impact Cloud Projects or billing and can be
[updated at any time](#update-team-settings).
:::
## Update Team Settings
To update Team Settings, follow the steps below.
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and select the desired Team.
2. Click **"Settings"** to enter the Team Settings Page.
3. Toggle edit to allow edits.
4. Edit Team Name and Team Slug as desired.
5. Click the **"Save"** button.
## View Team Activity
The Team Activity Page displays billing information changes, created and destroyed Projects, Team Members added or
removed, Team Name and Team Slug changes, as well as any other major Team-oriented activities. To view Team Activity,
follow the steps below.
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and select the desired Team.
2. Click **"Activity"**.
## View Billing Details
Please follow these steps to see billing details such as credit available to Team Projects, total active subscriptions,
and invoice receipts. [Learn More](/cloud/teams/#manage-billing)
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and select the desired Team.
2. Click **"Billing"** to enter the Billing Details Page.
## Manage Billing
Since our Community tier is completely free, and our Enterprise tier pricing is individually tailored based on customer
needs, this section will focus on our pay-as-you-go Standard tier. Follow the steps below to change a default payment
method, add or remove additional payment methods, or change other billing details.
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and select the desired Team.
2. Click **"Billing"** to enter the Billing Details Page.
3. Click **"Manage Billing"** to enter the Stripe payments gateway.
4. Adjust payment methods and details as needed.
5. Click **"Return to Directus Cloud"**.
### Team Billing
Teams are free to create. They are used to give Team Members access to the same Projects, Project invoices, and payment
methods. Each Team has its own separate billing. Each Project within a Team is [calculated](#how-bills-are-calculated)
and [invoiced separately every month](#billing-cycles).
Team Members are SuperAdmins. As such, they have full access to manage billing information and payment methods,
including information provided by other Team Members. Team Members should be highly trusted individuals.
All bills will first be invoiced to the default payment method. You may notice that it is possible to add additional
payment methods, and it may be a good idea to do so, as keeping multiple payment methods on file provides a fail-safe to
help make sure your Project stays running. In the event that there is an issue processing the default payment method,
the other payment methods on file will be attempted. If the bill is not paid, the Nodes are paused, halting web-traffic,
until a successful payment is made. If the paused Project is never repaid, it will eventually be deleted along with all
its data and assets! For details on unpaid Projects and refunds see,
[Cloud Policies](https://directus.io/cloud-policies/)
:::tip Team Metered Usage
You may notice credit on top of the [Billing Page](#view-billing-details). In the _rare event_ your Team receives credit
from the Directus Team, this credit balance will decrease the amount due on the next invoice(s) until all credit is used
up. Then the default payment method will be used.
:::
:::tip Stripe Payment
To handle billing, Directus Cloud uses Stripe, a secure, industry-leading, dynamic, international billing service.
:::
### Billing Cycles
Bills are invoiced on a calendar monthly basis, so each new billing period begins after exactly one month. When a
Project is destroyed, the bill is processed immediately. As mentioned in the previous section, bills are invoiced
per-Project. So, if a Team has 4 Standard Projects, it will be charged 4 times each month.
### How Bills Are Calculated
Project billing is calculated based on the total number of hours that Active and Standby Nodes are utilized during the
billing period. Once the [Node Type](/cloud/glossary/#nodes) is selected, the associated hourly rate will apply to both
Active and Standby Nodes.
:::tip Node Pricing
**General Purpose:** $0.03424657534 / hour\
**Performance Tier:** $0.06849315068 / hour
:::
This means the monthly prices given for Active Nodes, _$25/month for General Purpose and $50/month for Performance
tier_, are actually estimates based on the cost per hour times the average length of a month (730 hours). So, the
pricing shown for one Active, General Purpose Node is `$0.03424657534 x 730hrs = $25`, however the actual bill will vary
slightly each month.
Furthermore, a Standard Project's Nodes can be reconfigured at any time. You can upgrade and downgrade Node Types, add
and remove Nodes, or destroy your Project as you please. In the end, _you simply pay for the actual Node-hours used by
your Project_.
The following four examples demonstrate this billing system:
**Hourly Pricing**\
A Project is configured to use General Purpose Nodes, with one Active Node and zero Standby Nodes. The Project runs for 3
days and 3.5 hours (75.5 hours total, rounds to 76 hours) and is then destroyed, costing `1 Node x $0.03424657534/hour x 76 hours = $2.60`.
The bill will be `$2.60` plus Tax/VAT, charged at Project destruction.
**Active Nodes**\
A Project is configured to use Performance Tier Nodes, with two Active Nodes and zero Standby Nodes. The Project runs the
full month (730 hours). For this billing cycle, the two Active Nodes will cost `2 Nodes x $0.06849315068/hour x 730 hours = $100`.
The monthly bill will be `$100` plus Tax/VAT.
**Overages on Standby Nodes**\
A Project is configured to use General Purpose Nodes, with three Active Nodes and two Standby Nodes. The Project runs the
full month (730 hours). There are two traffic spikes. The first spike is smaller and only activates one Standby Node for
6.5 hours. The second spike is larger and activates the first Node from 4pm to 12am (eight hours), and the second Node from
6pm to 11pm (five hours), for a total of `8 + 5 = 13` hours. Between both spikes, Standby Nodes run for a total of 19.5 hours
(rounds to 20 hrs). Active Nodes will cost `3 Nodes x $0.03424657534/hour x 730 hours = $75.00` plus Standby Node overages
`20 Node-hours x $0.03424657534/hour = $0.68`.
The monthly bill will be `$75.68` plus VAT/Tax.
**Pro-rated Changes**\
A Project begins the billing cycle configured to use General Purpose Nodes, one Active and zero Standby. A massive traffic
spike is expected from marketing activities this month and 200 hours into the month, the Project is reconfigured. The Node
Type is now Performance Tier, and uses two Active Nodes and five Standby Nodes. In the end, the marketing event was a failure,
traffic was just slightly above average. The five Standby Nodes were not needed and never activated. The first 200 hours
cost `(1 General Purpose Node x $0.03424657534/hour x 200hrs) = $6.85`. The other 530 hours cost `(2 Performance Nodes x $0.06849315068/hour x 530 hours) = 72.60`.
The monthly bill will be `$79.45` plus VAT/Tax.
### Optimize Node Configuration
As stated in the beginning of this section and as shown by the examples above, _you are never locked-in to a specific
Node configuration_. As needs change on a Project, you are free to reconfigure Node Type as well as the number of Active
and Standby Nodes. To this end, you may want to monitor overall system traffic to make informed decisions on Node
reconfiguration. The [Project Monitor Page](/cloud/projects/#monitor-a-project) provides performance analytics, which
can be used to help identify optimal Node configurations for your Project.
:::warning Standby Nodes
For production-ready Projects of any kind, it is probably a good idea to have one or more Standby Nodes. These do not
activate and you do not pay until they are needed. Alternatively, as with any web app or site, if you do not have the
processing power to handle traffic spikes, it can crash your Nodes!
:::
## Invite Team Members
All Team Members can invite new Members via email. Each invitee will be emailed a link to accept invitation and join the
Team. To invite Team Members, follow the steps below.
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and select the desired Team.
2. Click **"Members"** to enter the Members Page.
3. Scroll down to the Invite New Members section.
4. Enter one or more email(s), comma separated.
5. Click **"Send Invites"**.
:::tip
Clicking the emailed invitation link does not automatically create an Account for you. Invitees will need to
[create an Account](/cloud/accounts/#create-account-and-login) before accepting invitation to join a Team.
:::
## Manage Team Members
All Team Members have the ability to remove other Members or invites from a Team. To remove Members or leave a Team
yourself, follow the steps below.
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and select the desired Team.
2. Click **"Members"** to enter the Members Page.
3. Click exit_to_app or close button on the desired Member.
4. Click **"Confirm"**.
:::warning
If an Account leaves or is removed from a Team, it will be fully "locked out" of the Team until re-invited by another
Member.
:::
## Destroy a Team
To destroy a Team, follow the steps below.
1. Open the Team Menu in the Dashboard Header and and select the desired Team.
2. Click **"Settings"** to enter the Team Settings Page.
3. Scroll down to the "Destroy this Team" section.
4. Toggle local_fire_department and an input box will appear.
5. Type the Team Name into the input box.
6. Click **"Destroy Team"**.
::: danger
Destroying a Team completely removes all its data from Directus Cloud. This action is permanent and irreversible.
Proceed with caution!
:::
::: tip Teams with Active Projects
To delete a Team, you must first delete any active Projects within it.
:::