Reviewed by Aditya Kumar · Last reviewed 2026-03-24
Architectural logic: Step scaling = magnitude-based (add 2 if CPU>70%, add 4 if >85%); Target tracking = maintain metric at target (e.g., 70% CPU). Why choose: Target = simpler, steady-state; Step = tiered response to severity. Scalability: Both scale out; Step can...
Architectural logic: Step scaling = magnitude-based (add 2 if CPU>70%, add 4 if >85%); Target tracking = maintain metric at target (e.g., 70% CPU). Why choose: Target = simpler, steady-state; Step = tiered response to severity. Scalability: Both scale out; Step can over-provision during spikes. Cost: Target tracking tends to right-size; Step can over-scale. Best practice: Target for most cases; Step for tiered; set min/max; predictive scaling for cyclical loads.
Red Flag: No min/max capacity—runaway scaling risk. Pro-Move: 'We use target tracking at 70% CPU with min 2, max 20—reduced over-provisioning by 30% vs step scaling.'
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