How much server your application needs
Memory, processor, disk and traffic: what each number means and how to pick a server size without paying for what you don't use or crashing at the first traffic spike.
Infrastructure. October 22, 2026. 6 min read.
Picking a server usually goes like this: someone opens a table of plans, sees four numbers on each row and picks the one in the middle, just to be safe. Sometimes it works. Sometimes the company pays for months for a machine that sits at 5% usage, or finds out on a sale day that the server was too small.
You can choose better by understanding what each number does.
The four numbers
Memory (RAM) is what most often runs short. Every program running on the server takes up part of it: the application, the database, the operating system, the background jobs. When it runs out, the server suddenly slows down or kills one of those programs. If the application and the database share the same machine, start with at least 4 GB.
Processor (vCPU) matters when the application does heavy work: generating a report, resizing an image, processing a spreadsheet uploaded by a customer. A typical application that just reads and saves data uses little processor most of the time and needs it at peaks.
Disk (SSD) holds the system, the database, uploaded files and the logs. The database and the logs grow every month. It's worth checking how much space they take today and projecting a year ahead.
Traffic is the amount of data that leaves the server for whoever is accessing it. Pages, images, downloaded files. For an internal system, it's almost never the limit. If you serve video or lots of large files, it's the first number to look at.
A starting point
| Situation | Start with |
|---|---|
| Small website or API, little traffic | 2 vCPU, 2 GB of memory |
| Company system with the database on the same server | 2 vCPU, 4 GB |
| SaaS with paying customers and background jobs | 2 vCPU, 8 GB |
| Many simultaneous users or a heavy database | 4 vCPU, 16 GB or more |
These are starting points. The right size becomes clear after a few weeks of watching the application in real use.
Measure before you grow
Before switching plans, look at the monitoring:
- Memory above 80% all the time calls for more memory, or moving the database to a separate server.
- High processor use only at certain times may call for a bigger server, or just for moving a heavy job, like the report that runs at 9 a.m. when everyone arrives.
- Disk above 70% calls for more space or a cleanup of old logs and temporary files.
If none of that is happening, the server is the right size, and there's no reason to pay more.
What no size can do without
Tested automatic backups (a backup that has never been restored is a gamble), a firewall that only opens what's necessary, a security certificate on the domain and someone watching the monitoring. These items matter for the smallest server as much as for the largest.
Anuntech Cloud plans follow this logic and already include backups, firewall and monitoring. If you're unsure about the size, tell us what the application does and how many people use it. We'll help you choose, even if the answer is the smallest plan.
