VPS Scalability
Knowing the scalability of VPS, you can optimize your servers for ever-changing server conditions, thereby speeding up servers and reducing costs.
Posted at: 2023.3.2
What is scalability of a VPS server?
Scalability" in VPS is a specification that is not an easy-to-understand indicator such as CPU or memory, but it is an important factor for long-term operation.
VPS scalability, referred to in server circles by the English word "scalability," simply means, "Can the VPS server be customized to suit the situation?" This refers to the following.
What kind of VPS has high scalability?
Generally, the scalability of a VPS server is evaluated based on the presence or absence of the following items and the abundance of functions. 1.
- up/down server performance (plan change)
- increase or decrease the number of servers
- customizability of network lines
The more detailed the VPS specifications can be changed, the more scalable it is. In addition, a VPS with high scalability can use a load balancer to build a load balancing system with multiple servers, and some providers can be described as "almost a cloud server" in terms of scalability.
Why is scalability important?
Web services and other server-based activities change and grow on a daily basis. Unfortunately, there will be times when a service regresses from its original state.
With a VPS that has low scalability, the only way to deal with such daily server changes is to go through the trouble of "signing up for a new plan and rebuilding the server from scratch".
Also, since it is not possible to "temporarily switch to a higher plan," you are forced to always choose a higher plan.
With a highly scalable VPS server, you can flexibly respond to such day-to-day changes, which can also contribute to cost reduction.
"Scalability" to look for in VPS specs
In VPS, there is no numerical index regarding "scalability", so we determine whether the service as a whole is scalable or not, depending on each application.
The following four types of scalability are necessary to use a VPS server for a long time.
| Points to check | Explanation |
|---|---|
| How easy it is to change plans | The best is to be able to upgrade or downgrade without changing servers. |
| Internal network connection or not | Can VPS instances be connected to each other? |
| With or without load balancer | Equipment used for load balancing. Must be able to connect to internal network. |
| Availability of backup function | Essential for server replication as well as backup applications |
Since load balancing using a load balancer is for medium-scale or larger server operations, it is acceptable to "move when the scale reaches that level," but there is nothing better than high flexibility in "flexibility in plan changes" at any scale.
