> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/network-services/vm-auto-scaling/overview/limitations.md).

# Limitations

IONOS CLOUD VM Auto Scaling: known limitations including cooldown timers, contract limits, and replica constraints

* It is best suited for a gradual increase in demand. The feature uses cooldown timers to scale resources gradually rather than abruptly. As a result, if you anticipate a sudden rise in traffic, we recommend manually adding VMs ahead of time. For example, you could add new VMs before traffic spikes after a TV commercial.
* The capabilities are limited to your customer contract limits. For more information about the contract resource limits in DCD, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Resource Overview</mark>](/cloud/set-up-ionos-cloud/management/usage/resource-overview.md).
* Updating the replica configuration does not affect the existing replicas; however, the changes are only visible when you create new replicas.
* To improve the efficiency of the VM Auto Scaling service, we recommend limiting the maximum number of VMs in an Auto Scaling Group to 100 or less. Note that the minimum replica count is one.
* Scale in or scale out jobs with a large number of VMs may encounter performance issues. Hence, we recommend limiting the creation or deletion of VMs to at most five, regardless of whether the **Amount Type** is **absolute** or **percentage**.


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