Abstract: In a multi-tenant web services platform, a request is received from a first customer requesting that a second customer be allowed to use a computing resource associated with the first customer. Control of the computing resource is transferred to the second customer based on a constraint selected by the first customer. A first portion of a cost associated with the computing resource is billed to the first customer. The control of the computing resource by the second customer is terminated in accordance with the constraint selected by the first customer.

Abstract: In a multi-tenant web services platform, a request to allocate a subset of the customer's reserved computing resource capacity as a variable resource is received from a customer. The platform is allowed to modify one or more parameters of the subset in accordance with at least one criterion without modifying the remaining portion of the customer's reserved computing resource capacity. The subset is analyzed in accordance with the at least one criterion. The parameters of the portion of the subset are modified based on the analysis of the subset.