What type of scaling is supported by virtual machines in OCI?

Virtual machines in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) support both vertical scaling (scaling up or down) and horizontal scaling (scaling in or out).

Vertical scaling involves adjusting the size of the virtual machine itself. For example, you can increase the number of CPUs or the amount of memory allocated to a virtual machine to meet increased demand. Conversely, you can also scale down by reducing the resources allocated to the VM if the demand decreases.

Horizontal scaling, on the other hand, refers to adding or removing instances of virtual machines to accommodate changes in workload. This can be done by launching additional instances to handle increased workload (scaling out) or terminating instances when demand decreases (scaling in).

This combination of scaling options allows for greater flexibility and responsiveness to varying load conditions, making it suitable for a wide range of applications and workloads in the cloud environment. By utilizing both methods, organizations can effectively manage their resources in line with demand, optimizing performance and costs.