Estimate MySQL RAM, InnoDB buffer pool and vCPU from database size, hot-set ratio, peak connections and application reserve.
$ InnoDB memory plan $ buffer pool != total RAM $ include: connections + OS + app $ validate: slow query + hit rate
MySQL does not require the entire database file to fit in RAM. Frequently accessed data/indexes, connection memory, OS and other processes must share the capacity.
This tool produces a starting estimate for capacity planning; validate production decisions with load tests and real monitoring data.
Change the inputs and calculate again.
InnoDB caches table and index pages in memory. MySQL notes that dedicated servers often assign up to 80% of physical memory, but it is not a universal rule.
Peak connections and per-thread buffers can create substantial memory risk.
Join complexity, indexes, write rate and contention matter more than database GB alone.
Swap can be a safety net but sustained database paging hurts latency.
No. It is a dedicated-server guideline, not a universal target.
No. The hot working set and access pattern matter.
Use it as a risk bound, then validate with real peak connections and query behavior.
Yes for buffer misses, flushes, redo and temp I/O.
Share your workload, traffic profile and growth target so we can determine the appropriate VPS or GPU server class.