Bare Metal Server

AWS: Amazon EC2 Dedicated Hosts
Azure: Azure Dedicated Host
GCP: Sole-tenant nodes
OCI: Bare Metal Instances

Definition

A physical server in the cloud dedicated entirely to a single customer, with no virtualization layer or shared resources.

Dropbox: High-performance storage infrastructure for large-scale file synchronization and storage services — Migrated major parts of its backend from public cloud to custom-built dedicated server infrastructure (often referred to as "Magic Pocket") to better control hardware, performance, and cost at scale. (Improved cost efficiency and performance predictability at large scale by tailoring hardware and software to workload needs.)
Netflix: Content delivery and edge caching to stream video reliably at global scale — Uses dedicated server hardware via its Open Connect CDN program, placing Netflix-owned caching appliances in ISP and internet exchange locations to serve content closer to viewers. (Reduced transit costs and improved streaming quality and reliability by serving content from caches near end users.)
Basecamp (37signals): Hosting core SaaS applications with strong control over performance and operations — Runs its production workloads on dedicated servers (rather than a purely multi-tenant public cloud approach) to maintain direct control over hardware resources and operational characteristics. (Greater predictability and control over performance and infrastructure decisions, aligned with their operational preferences.)

Category: compute

Difficulty: advanced