RAM
Definition
Random Access Memory - temporary storage that helps your computer work on multiple things at once. Like your desk workspace.
Use Cases
- Netflix: Running large-scale microservices and streaming platform components that need predictable in-memory performance — Uses AWS compute instances with selected memory sizes to match workload needs (for example, choosing more memory for services that cache data or handle high concurrency). (Improved service responsiveness and stability by right-sizing memory for different services and scaling instances as demand changes.)
- Airbnb: Speeding up web application performance by using in-memory caching to reduce database load — Uses in-memory caches (commonly implemented with systems like Memcached/Redis) on compute infrastructure where sufficient RAM is required to hold frequently accessed data. (Lower latency for common requests and reduced pressure on primary databases during peak traffic.)
- Spotify: Handling high-throughput backend services where caching and buffering in memory improves performance — Runs backend services on cloud compute with memory sized to support caching, request handling, and JVM/heap needs for certain services. (More consistent performance under load by allocating enough RAM to avoid excessive garbage collection and swapping.)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between RAM and storage (SSD/HDD)?
- RAM is short-term, fast memory your system uses while programs are running. Storage (like SSD or HDD) is long-term and keeps data even when the computer is turned off. RAM is faster but temporary; storage is slower but persistent.
- When should I add more RAM to a cloud VM?
- Add more RAM when your application is memory-bound: you see out-of-memory errors, frequent restarts, high memory utilization, heavy swapping/page faults, or slow performance caused by caching being too small. Common cases include running databases, in-memory caches, analytics jobs, JVM/.NET apps with large heaps, and containers with many concurrent requests.
- How much does RAM cost in the cloud?
- You typically pay for RAM as part of the VM/instance price, not as a separate line item. Cost depends on the instance family (general purpose vs memory-optimized), region, operating system licensing, and purchase model (on-demand, reserved/committed use, spot/preemptible). More RAM usually increases hourly cost, and memory-optimized instances cost more per hour than general-purpose ones.
Category: hardware
Difficulty: basic
Related Terms
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