Auto scaling cloud servers: your VM grows live, no restart
Your cloud server adds vCPU and RAM in 2–4 seconds when traffic spikes. No restart, no dropped connections, never past the ceiling you set.
- You set the ceiling up front, for example up to 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM. We never go past it.
- CPU high for a few minutes in a row? The VM grows to that size while running, in 2–4 seconds.
- Back to base when you choose: one "Restart to revert to base size" button, about 1–2 minutes.
Auto scaling during a traffic spike: one evening
One livestream evening for a Cloudj customer:
Normal load
Base size, base price
Overloaded for a few minutes
Grows live to your ceiling, higher price
After the rush
Higher price until you press revert
The dashed line is the overload threshold you set. The shaded band is the higher price — it does not end on its own, it lasts until you press the button to revert to the base size.
Auto scaling vs manual resize: what's the difference
| Resize (you click) | Auto Scaling (we click for you) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | You | We do, using your thresholds |
| When it happens | The moment you click Apply | Only when the VM is overloaded |
| What you pay | Charged now, the new size is permanent | Only the hours the VM actually ran big |
| Can change the disk | Yes | No — the disk never grows by itself |
| Scaling down | Yes, with a ~70 second restart | We never shrink it on our own — it keeps the bigger size and price until you press the revert button (~1–2 min) |
Both live in the same dialog: type the size you want, then choose whether it applies now or only when the VM is overloaded.
Auto scaling pricing: pay only for the hours it runs bigger
The price follows exactly the size you picked. We never meter anything inside your VM. The amount is on screen before you press the button — no surprise invoices.
When the VM grows, the new hourly price starts at that moment and stays until you press the button to revert to the base size — the price does not follow load back down on its own.
Example: you set the ceiling at twice your current size. A 4-hour peak evening costs you the difference for those 4 hours only — not for the whole month.
The ceiling is always yours: the size you set is the maximum. We never go past it.
Scaling back down after the rush
A virtual machine cannot give back CPU and RAM while it is running — that is a limit of virtualisation itself, and every large provider has it. So the VM does NOT shrink itself when idle: it keeps the size it grew to, and the matching price.
You decide when to bring it down, with a single button: "Restart to revert to base size". The VM Stops then Starts, about 1–2 minutes, then runs at the base size and base price again. Your data, disk and IP address stay the same.
If you never press it, the VM simply keeps the grown size — there is no time limit and nothing happens automatically. A regular restart, password reset, or OS reinstall does NOT change the configuration; only this button does.
Auto scaling requirements: can your VM use it?
- It runs Linux. Windows is not supported yet, because a Windows Server licence only accepts 2 CPU sockets.
- It has been restarted at least once since our last platform upgrade. If not, the dialog tells you and lets you schedule it.
- It is running, with no operation in progress.
- It has no snapshots — a snapshot pins the VM’s size. Delete them and you are good.
Not sure? Just open the Resize dialog on your VM — we check and tell you right there.
Auto scaling FAQ
Ready for your next traffic spike?
Turn Auto Scaling on or off whenever you like — no commitment, no fee.