Stop 20 · System DesignTopics · 2/15
Vertical vs Horizontal Scaling
Part of the Backend Developer Roadmap
In short
Vertical scaling means using a bigger server (more CPU/RAM); horizontal scaling means using more servers — each with very different cost, complexity and ceiling trade-offs.
How to learn this
- 1List the practical limits of vertical scaling — there's a biggest server you can buy.
- 2Learn why horizontal scaling requires your app to be stateless.
- 3Identify which type of scaling a project you know actually uses today.
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