What does compute instance vertical scaling mean?

Vertical scaling of a compute instance refers to adjusting the resources associated with a single instance by changing its shape, which can include increasing or decreasing the number of virtual CPUs (vCPUs) and the amount of memory allocated to that instance, while maintaining the same underlying hardware architecture. This type of scaling allows you to enhance the performance of an application that may be resource-intensive, and it can be particularly useful for workloads that require additional computational power or memory at certain times.

In contrast, increasing the number of instances in a cluster pertains to horizontal scaling, which involves adding more instances rather than modifying existing ones. Upgrading to a newer software version generally aims to improve functionality or security rather than directly affecting the resource configuration of an instance. Finally, switching between different types of cloud services does not fall under the definition of scaling and focuses on the deployment model or service type rather than resource allocation within a specific compute instance.