> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nuvolos.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nuvolos.com/reference/applications/application-resources.md).

# Application sizes and resources

Application size determines the compute resources available to an Application, including CPU, RAM, and optionally GPU resources. Sizes can be changed at any time while a project is active, though running Applications must be restarted for changes to take effect.

Nuvolos offers two categories of Application sizes:

* **Standard sizes** use Nuvolos Compute Units (NCUs) and are covered by your subscription. These run on shared infrastructure, meaning resources are allocated dynamically. For example, an Application configured with 4 NCUs can use up to 4 vCPUs and 16 GB of RAM, though the actual share may vary during periods of high platform usage.
* **Elastic sizes** consume Credits and run on dedicated infrastructure with guaranteed CPU, RAM, and GPU allocations. These sizes are intended for demanding workloads such as large-memory processing, GPU acceleration, or HPC-style computing. Credit-based sizes must be enabled by a Space Administrator before they can be used.

{% hint style="info" %}
If a Cloud account is integrated with the Space, additional Application sizes associated with that account may also be available alongside the standard **Standard** and **Elastic** size categories.
{% endhint %}

By default, Applications are configured with sizes included in your Nuvolos subscription. Additional resources beyond the included allocation can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis through Credits. The *Credit/hour* indicator shows whether a selected size consumes Credits and at what rate.

Application size only refers to compute resources. Storage usage is tracked separately through the *Space Usage* indicator, which reflects the disk space consumed by Application files such as installed packages, databases, and other project data.

### Select resources during Application creation

The resource selector appears in the **Application Resources** step when creating an Application. The first available Standard size is selected automatically. Choose another Standard, Elastic, or provider-specific resource if needed, then review **Application configuration** and click **Create Application**.

Provider-specific tabs appear only when resources from that provider are available. Their refresh control reloads the discovered resource sizes; linking or repairing the provider connection is handled under Resource Pool **Integrations**.

### Size limits and self-service scaling

* Self-service size changes within the platform are possible between 1 and 16 NCUs for Standard sizes.
* Applications on credit-based sizes can scale between 8 vCPUs / 32 GB RAM and 120 vCPUs / 456 GB RAM, with corresponding GPU options.
* Credit-based sizes need to be enabled per Space by a space administrator before Instance Editors can use them. See [Administration › Space management](/administration/space-management.md).

### Change an Application's size

1. Navigate to the Space and Instance containing the application.
2. Make sure you are in the **Current state**.
3. On the sidebar, click the screen icon (Applications).
4. On the row of the target Application, hover over the **Size** column. Click the icon to open the sizing screen.
5. The sizing view has two tabs - **STANDARD** and **ELASTIC** - corresponding to the two cost categories. If a Cloud account is integrated, an additional corresponding tab will also appear alongside these base tabs.
6. Select a configuration and click **SET**. After a few seconds, you return to the Applications overview.

Running Applications must be restarted for the new size to take effect. The radio buttons at the top of the sizing view let you optimise the configuration list for CPU, GPU, or storage, depending on what your workload needs.

### Where to see current sizes

The Applications overview shows a list of your Applications along with their configuration version and current size. The Size column displays:

* NCU allocation for Standard sizes.
* Relevant data (such as GPU model) for credit-based sizes.

Hover over the size indicator to see detailed CPU and RAM limits.