SLA
Definition
Service Level Agreement - a commitment between service provider and customer defining expected performance and reliability.
Use Cases
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): Providing contractual uptime commitments for core infrastructure services used by customers running production workloads — AWS publishes service-specific SLAs (for example, for Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3) that define monthly uptime percentage calculations, conditions for eligibility, and service credit percentages. Customers monitor availability, document incidents, and submit credit requests within the SLA’s claim window when thresholds are not met. (Customers can set reliability expectations and obtain service credits when AWS fails to meet stated availability targets, supporting risk management and vendor accountability for production systems.)
- Microsoft Azure: Defining availability commitments for enterprise cloud services used in business-critical applications — Azure provides service-level agreements per service (for example, Azure Virtual Machines and Azure Storage), including definitions of downtime, measurement methods, and credit schedules. Enterprises align internal SLOs and architecture (such as multi-zone deployments) to meet business requirements while referencing Azure’s SLA terms for vendor commitments. (Organizations use Azure SLAs to inform architecture decisions and procurement, and to claim service credits when eligible, improving governance and operational planning.)
- Google Cloud: Setting reliability expectations and remedies for managed cloud services — Google Cloud publishes SLAs for many products (for example, Compute Engine and Cloud Storage) that specify availability targets, exclusions (like customer-caused misconfiguration), and credit processes. Teams map these SLAs to their own reliability targets and implement monitoring to detect and evidence qualifying downtime. (Helps customers quantify vendor reliability commitments and incorporate them into risk assessments, while providing a defined remedy (service credits) when targets are missed.)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the difference between an SLA and an SLO?
- An SLA is a contract with customers that includes a promised service level (often availability) and a remedy (usually service credits) if it’s not met. An SLO (Service Level Objective) is an internal target a team aims to achieve (for example, 99.95% availability) and is not necessarily a customer-facing contract.
- When do I need an SLA for my cloud application?
- You need an SLA when your application supports business-critical functions, has external customers, or has contractual uptime/response-time expectations. Use SLAs to set clear reliability commitments, define how outages are measured, and establish what happens if targets aren’t met. If you’re early-stage or internal-only, you might start with SLOs and add SLAs later as requirements mature.
- How much does an SLA cost in cloud computing?
- Cloud provider SLAs are typically included at no extra charge as part of using the service, but they don’t pay cash damages—usually they offer service credits if you meet eligibility requirements. Your real costs come from designing to meet your own uptime goals (for example, multi-zone or multi-region architecture, redundancy, monitoring, and operational staffing), which can increase infrastructure and operational spend.
Category: software
Difficulty: intermediate
Related Terms
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