Overview

Reserved capacity (e.g., AWS Reserved Instances, Google Cloud Committed Use Discounts) allows organizations to save up to 70% compared to standard 'on-demand' pricing. It is ideal for workloads with predictable, steady-state usage.

Key Characteristics

  • Term Commitment: Usually 1 year or 3 years.
  • Payment Options: Can often be paid all upfront, partially upfront, or monthly.
  • Flexibility: Some reservations allow you to change instance types or regions during the term.
  • Capacity Reservation: In some cases, it also guarantees that the capacity will be available when you need it.

Use Cases

  • Production databases.
  • Core application servers.
  • Any workload that runs 24/7.

Related Terms