Simplicable Guide

5 Examples of Cloud Scaling

John Spacey, March 21, 2018

Cloud scaling is the process of adding or removing cloud computing resources as you need them. Cloud infrastructure and platforms are typically priced on a utility model such that you are billed for what you use at a finely grained level. This allows cloud services, systems and applications to be quickly scaled up and down to meet demands. The following are common types of cloud scaling.

Vertical Scaling

Vertical scaling is the process of moving to a larger instance or upgrading resources. For example, a website running on a 8-cpu virtual machine that is redeployed to a 16-cpu virtual machine. Many infrastructure as a service platforms have tools that make this an easy process that can be accomplished in minutes or seconds.

Horizontal Scaling

Horizontal scaling is the process of adding more instances to a service, system or application. For example, a software as a service vendor who adds instances whenever average users per cpu exceeds 50 and removes instances when users per cpu falls below 40.

Auto Scaling

Scaling that is performed automatically using an API. For example, a settlement process for a bank that horizontally scales itself depending on how many trades it is processing.

Side-by-side Scaling

Side-by-side scaling is the process of adding instances for different purposes on demand. The most common example is a firm that adds development and test instances of a service as required by a project.

Global Scaling

Scaling a service to run in different geographical locations. For example, a content delivery network that delivers videos from dozens of geographically distributed data centers so that videos are served to users from a data center that is close to them.

Overview: Cloud Scaling
Type	Cloud Computing
Definition	The process of adding or removing cloud computing resources as you need them.
Related Concepts	Cloud Computing » PaaS » Utility Computing » Scalability » Virtual Machine » Infrastructure as a Service »