Final answer:
In cloud computing, vertical scaling means increasing the power of a single server, while horizontal scaling involves adding more servers to distribute the workload. Vertical scaling has hardware limits, whereas horizontal scaling offers more flexibility as demand grows.
Step-by-step explanation:
Differences Between Vertical and Horizontal Scaling
When discussing cloud computing, two common approaches to scaling infrastructure are vertical scaling and horizontal scaling. Vertical scaling, often referred to as "scaling up," involves increasing the capacity of an existing server or resource. This could mean adding more CPUs, memory, or storage to handle additional load. It's akin to upgrading your computer to a more powerful one. However, vertical scaling has limits based on the maximum capacity of the hardware.
On the other hand, horizontal scaling, or "scaling out," means increasing the number of servers or resources to handle the workload. This method distributes the load across multiple machines or instances, which can work in parallel to manage the increased demand. Horizontal scaling is typically more flexible than vertical scaling because it allows systems to grow with demand by adding more machines into the infrastructure.
To summarize, vertical scaling focuses on adding more power to a single resource, while horizontal scaling involves adding more resources to spread the load. Cloud computing services often support both scaling methods, allowing for flexible infrastructure management based on the needs of the application.