autoscaling
n.n. a system that automatically adds or removes computer power based on how many people are using a website or app. It helps keep things running smoothly when it gets busy and saves money when it is quiet.
n. the process of dynamically adjusting the number of active computing resources in a server farm or cloud environment based on real-time load. Often used in cloud computing to maintain performance while minimising costs.
The website uses autoscaling to handle extra traffic during sales.
By implementing autoscaling, the startup ensured their application remained responsive during the viral marketing campaign without overpaying for idle servers.
Efficient autoscaling relies on sophisticated monitoring metrics that trigger the provisioning of additional virtual machines before the existing infrastructure reaches a critical bottleneck.
A compound formed from the Greek-derived prefix auto-, meaning self, and the present participle of the English verb scale, which traces to the Latin scala, meaning ladder.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used in technical and business contexts related to cloud infrastructure and software engineering.
Last updated July 22, 2026