Zephyr Professional Practice Test

Which scaling axis divides an application by workload across multiple copies?

1. X-axis scaling

2. Y-axis scaling

3. Z-axis scaling

4. Vertical scaling

The correct answer is: X-axis scaling

The concept being referred to involves how an application can handle increased workload by distributing it across multiple copies or instances of the application. This approach is often termed "horizontal scaling" or scaling along the X-axis. In X-axis scaling, as additional resources are required, more instances of the application are created and deployed. This allows for a better distribution of the workload, as each instance can handle a portion of the traffic or data processing. This scalability is fundamental in cloud computing and distributed systems, where redundancy and load balancing can enhance performance and reliability. The other scaling methods focus on different dimensions. Y-axis scaling typically refers to adding resources to a single instance, such as increasing its CPU or memory (also known as vertical scaling). Z-axis scaling can refer to finer granularity in system architecture, such as separating different services into microservices. Vertical scaling overrelies on a single machine's capabilities instead of distributing across multiple instances. Thus, learning how to manage workloads effectively through X-axis scaling enhances overall system performance and availability.