Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan Usage Tutorial: Complete Guide from Subscription to Getting Started

Hello everyone, this is Programmer Wanfeng.

Bought Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan but don't know how to use it? Today's tutorial will teach you step by step, covering the complete process from subscription to getting started.

Step 1: Open the subscription page

Visit: Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan Subscription Page

Step 2: Choose a plan

Pay-as-you-go: Suitable for light usage
Monthly/Annual subscription: Suitable for heavy users, more cost-effective

Step 3: Complete payment

Supports common payment methods such as Alipay and bank cards.

2. Get API Key

After successful subscription, you need to get an API Key to access various tools.

Operation Steps

Log in to Alibaba Cloud Bailian Console
Visit: https://bailian.console.aliyun.com/
Enter the Coding Plan page
Find the "Coding Plan" product entry in the console
Create API Key
- Click "API Key Management"
- Click "Create API Key"
- Give the Key a name (e.g., "For Cursor")
- Copy and save the Key (note: Key is only displayed once)
View available models
Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan supports multiple models:
- Qwen3.5-Plus - Strong general capabilities
- Qwen3-Max - Flagship model
- Qwen3-Coder-Next - Specially optimized for programming
- Qwen3-Coder-Plus - Code generation expert
- Third-party models such as MiniMax M2.5, GLM-5, Kimi-k2.5, etc.

3. Access Common Tools

Access Qwen Code (Official CLI Tool)

Qwen Code is a command-line AI programming tool officially launched by Alibaba Cloud.

Installation Steps

# Install Qwen Code
pip install qwen-code

# Verify installation
qwen --version

Configuration Steps

Open the terminal and enter:
1
qwen auth
Paste your Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan API Key
Select the default model (Qwen3-Coder-Plus is recommended)

Start using:

1	qwen "Write a Python function to read CSV files"

Access Cursor

Cursor is one of the most popular AI programming IDEs currently.

Configuration Steps

Open Cursor settings (Settings)
Find the "Models" or "OpenAI API" option
Select "Add custom model"
Fill in the information:
- API Key: Paste your Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan API Key
- Base URL: https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
- Model: Select the model you want to use (e.g., qwen3-coder-plus)
Save settings and start using

Access VS Code

If you use VS Code, you can install the Continue plugin.

Configuration Steps

Search for "Continue" in the VS Code extension store and install it
Open Continue settings

Add custom model:

{
  "models": [
    {
      "title": "Alibaba Cloud Tongyi Qianwen",
      "provider": "openai",
      "model": "qwen3-coder-plus",
      "apiKey": "Your API Key",
      "apiBase": "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
    }
  ]
}

Restart VS Code and start using

4. Model Selection Suggestions

Different scenarios are suitable for different models:

Scenario	Recommended Model	Reason
Daily code completion	Qwen3.5-Plus	Fast speed, strong general capabilities
Complex algorithms	Qwen3-Coder-Plus	High code generation quality
Chinese projects	Qwen3-Max	Best Chinese understanding
Rapid prototyping	Qwen3-Coder-Next	Special optimization for programming
Long text processing	Kimi-k2.5	Long text expert
Creative programming	MiniMax M2.5	Strong creative generation

Speaking of this, let me share a personal example.

I usually use Qwen3-Coder-Plus for daily development, and switch to Qwen3-Max when encountering complex algorithm problems. One subscription covers all needs, which is very convenient.

5. Common Problem Solutions

Q1: What if the API Key is invalid?

Check:

Whether the Key is copied completely
Whether the account balance is sufficient
Whether the Key has been deleted or disabled

Q2: Slow response speed?

Try:

Switch to different models
Check network connection
Simplify request content

Q3: Unsatisfactory code generation quality?

Suggestions:

Try different models
Optimize prompt description
Provide more context

Q4: How to check usage?

In the Alibaba Cloud Bailian Console, you can view:

Token usage
Number of calls
Cost details

6. Advanced Tips

Tip 1: Multi-model backup

Configure multiple models in the tool, so you can switch immediately if one has problems.

Tip 2: Custom Prompts

Use different system Prompts for different scenarios to improve generation quality.

Tip 3: Combine with Alibaba Cloud ecosystem

Coding Plan + Alibaba Cloud ECS + Alibaba Cloud OSS, double the efficiency.

7. Final Thoughts

Accessing Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan is actually very simple, the key is to try it yourself.

Don't pursue perfect configuration, use it first, then optimize slowly.

AI is a lever, not an opponent.

By the way, if you want to learn how to use AI tools more systematically, on April 12 I will participate in Tencent Cloud Community's "Lobster Open Class" in Zhengzhou, demonstrating on site how to configure Coding Plan and how to build a complete AI workflow.

Hands-on teaching on site is more intuitive than reading articles.

👉 Registration link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XQhCrkbumDqtOZXuapMpVg

The choice is in your hands.

🎁 Bonus Time

I'll send you a "Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan Configuration Template":

Qwen Code configuration template
Cursor configuration template
VS Code configuration template
Recommended model parameter settings

👉 Click to get it for free

📚 Want to learn AI programming systematically?

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[Xiaohongshu QR Code]

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Programmer Wanfeng, focuses on AI programming training, a Python programmer who switched from a law master's degree, author of the open source project python-office.