Understanding Personal Developer Instance (PDI) Reclamation and Available SupportSummary<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Overview Personal Developer Instances (PDIs) are free ServiceNow instances provided through the ServiceNow Developer Program for learning, application development, testing, and experimentation. To ensure that PDIs remain available for active developers, the Developer Program has introduced a reclamation policy for inactive instances. As a result, developers may find that their PDI is no longer available even though they recently accessed the Developer Portal or were actively working on their projects. This article explains: When a PDI may be reclaimedWhat activity counts toward keeping a PDI activeWhat happens after a PDI is reclaimedHow to obtain assistance for PDI-related questionsBest practices to help protect your development work When can a PDI be reclaimed? A Personal Developer Instance (PDI) may become eligible for reclamation based on inactivity. A PDI may be reclaimed under either of the following conditions: The PDI has been inactive for 10 consecutive days, orThe PDI is 90 days old or older and has been inactive for 10 consecutive days. Inactivity is the key criterion used during the reclamation process. If a PDI meets the applicable inactivity requirements, it may be selected for reclamation in accordance with the Developer Program policy. Understanding what counts as activity One of the most common areas of confusion is the difference between the Developer Portal and the Personal Developer Instance (PDI). Only an explicit login to the Personal Developer Instance itself is considered activity for the reclamation policy. Examples of activity that counts include: Signing in directly to your Personal Developer Instance.Logging in through your instance URL (for example, devXXXXX.service-now.com). The following activities do not count toward keeping a PDI active: Logging in to developer.servicenow.comBrowsing the Developer PortalVisiting the ServiceNow CommunityScheduled JobsIntegrationsREST API trafficBackground processesAutomated activity within the instance Visiting the Developer Portal alone does not count as activity. If you do not explicitly sign in to your Personal Developer Instance, it may become eligible for reclamation after meeting the applicable inactivity criteria. Why was my PDI reclaimed even though I logged in after receiving a notification? The Developer Program has clarified that the reclamation process identifies eligible PDIs and processes them in batches. Once a PDI has already been identified for reclamation, logging in afterwards may not remove it from the scheduled reclamation process. Therefore, if you receive a notification regarding your PDI, you should review the published guidance and take any recommended actions as soon as possible. What happens after a PDI is reclaimed? When a Personal Developer Instance is reclaimed: The instance is removed from your Developer Program account.The instance is prepared to be returned to the available pool for future developers.All data associated with the reclaimed PDI is permanently removed. As confirmed by the Developer Program team, reclaimed PDIs are wiped before being returned to the available pool, and their contents cannot be recovered. How can Now Support help? Although customers frequently contact Now Support regarding reclaimed PDIs, Personal Developer Instances are managed through the ServiceNow Developer Program. As a result, Now Support does not have the administrative access or tooling required to: Investigate why a specific PDI was selected for reclamation.Reverse a reclamation.Restore a reclaimed PDI.Recover data from a reclaimed PDI.Modify Developer Program policies. These functions are owned and managed by the Developer Program team. How can I obtain assistance? If you have questions regarding your Personal Developer Instance, including reclamation, instance availability, Developer Program policies, or supported assistance channels, please refer to the Developer instances (PDI) — what is supported and how to get help knowledge article. This article explains the available support options and the appropriate channels for PDI-related questions. Best practices to protect your development work Personal Developer Instances are intended for learning and development and should not be considered permanent storage for important work. To minimize the risk of losing your work: Log in directly to your Personal Developer Instance periodically to ensure it remains active.Regularly back up your applications and configurations.Store important development work outside your PDI whenever possible by using supported backup methods. The Developer Program recommends regularly backing up your work using mechanisms such as: Update SetsSource ControlXML exportsApplication repositoriesOther supported export methods For detailed guidance on backing up your Personal Developer Instance, refer to the following Developer Community article: How to Backup Your Personal Developer Instance (PDI) https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-blog/how-to-backup-your-personal-developer-instance-pdi/ba-p/3572030 Regular backups are the only reliable way to protect your development work in the event that your PDI becomes unavailable. Frequently Asked Questions 1. Does logging in to developer.servicenow.com keep my PDI active? No. Only an explicit login to your Personal Developer Instance counts as activity for the reclamation policy. 2. Do integrations, Scheduled Jobs, or REST API calls count as activity? No. Automated activity, integrations, Scheduled Jobs, REST API traffic, and background processes do not satisfy the explicit login requirement. 3. Can data from a reclaimed PDI be recovered? No. Once a PDI has been reclaimed, its contents are permanently removed before the instance is returned to the available pool for future developers. 4. Does this policy affect customer production or non-production instances? No. This reclamation policy applies only to Personal Developer Instances provided through the ServiceNow Developer Program. Additional Resources For more information about the PDI reclamation policy and Developer Program guidance, refer to the following resources: Keeping PDIs Available for Active Builders – Upcoming PDI Reclamation PolicyServiceNow PDI Reclamation Rules – Avoid Losing AccessHow to Backup Your Personal Developer Instance (PDI)PDI GuideDeveloper instances (PDI) — what is supported and how to get help Summary The Personal Developer Instance reclamation policy helps ensure that developer resources remain available for active users. If your PDI has been reclaimed, review the available Developer Program documentation to understand the policy, the activities that count toward keeping a PDI active, and the available support channels. Regularly logging in to your PDI and maintaining backups of your development work are the best ways to minimize the impact of future reclamation events. Now Support remains committed to providing guidance for supported ServiceNow products and directing developers to the appropriate resources for PDI-related assistance. 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