What is the difference between Autonomous Database Serverless and Dedicated?

Serverless (shared infrastructure) runs on Oracle-managed Exadata infrastructure shared with other tenants, with pay-per-OCPU-hour pricing and automatic scaling. Dedicated runs on customer-exclusive Exadata infrastructure, providing complete isolation, custom maintenance schedules, and the ability to host multiple databases on the same infrastructure. Dedicated is priced per Exadata infrastructure unit and is cost-effective when running many Autonomous Databases at scale.

How does auto-scaling affect Autonomous Database costs?

When auto-scaling is enabled, the database can use up to 3x the base OCPU count during demand spikes. You pay for the actual OCPUs consumed per hour, not the peak capacity. For example, an 8 OCPU base can burst to 24 OCPUs, but if it only uses 12 OCPUs for one hour, you pay for 12 OCPU-hours. Storage auto-scaling is separate and grows the allocated storage automatically up to the configured limit.

What is Always Free Autonomous Database?

OCI offers an Always Free tier that includes one Autonomous Database with 1 OCPU and 20 GB of storage at no cost, with no time limit. The database automatically stops after 7 days of inactivity and is reclaimed after 90 days if not restarted. It includes all enterprise features but does not support auto-scaling or dedicated infrastructure. It is ideal for development, learning, and prototyping.

Autonomous DB Cost Estimator

StorageOCI

Estimate Oracle Autonomous Database costs for ATP, ADW, and AJD with ECPU and storage pricing.

Autonomous Database Configuration

Database Type

ECPUs

Storage (GB)

License Type

Include Always Free Tier (1 ECPU + 20 GB storage)

Raw Output

Output will appear here...

About This Tool

Oracle Autonomous Database (ADB) on OCI uses an OCPU-based pricing model with options for dedicated infrastructure, serverless, and Autonomous Database Free Tier. Costs depend on the OCPU count, storage volume, edition (Standard vs. Enterprise), workload type (OLTP, Data Warehouse, JSON, APEX), and whether auto-scaling is enabled. The Autonomous Database Cost Estimator calculates monthly expenses based on your configuration choices, including the impact of auto-scaling (up to 3x base OCPU), backup storage, and the cost difference between License Included and Bring Your Own License (BYOL) models.

When to Use This Tool

•Estimating monthly costs for a production Autonomous Transaction Processing (ATP) database with 8 OCPUs and 2 TB storage
•Comparing License Included versus BYOL pricing to determine if existing Oracle licenses reduce your ADB costs
•Projecting the cost impact of enabling auto-scaling to 3x the base OCPU during month-end reporting periods
•Calculating the total cost of ownership for migrating an on-premises Oracle database to Autonomous Database Serverless

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Autonomous Database Serverless and Dedicated?: Serverless (shared infrastructure) runs on Oracle-managed Exadata infrastructure shared with other tenants, with pay-per-OCPU-hour pricing and automatic scaling. Dedicated runs on customer-exclusive Exadata infrastructure, providing complete isolation, custom maintenance schedules, and the ability to host multiple databases on the same infrastructure. Dedicated is priced per Exadata infrastructure unit and is cost-effective when running many Autonomous Databases at scale.
How does auto-scaling affect Autonomous Database costs?: When auto-scaling is enabled, the database can use up to 3x the base OCPU count during demand spikes. You pay for the actual OCPUs consumed per hour, not the peak capacity. For example, an 8 OCPU base can burst to 24 OCPUs, but if it only uses 12 OCPUs for one hour, you pay for 12 OCPU-hours. Storage auto-scaling is separate and grows the allocated storage automatically up to the configured limit.
What is Always Free Autonomous Database?: OCI offers an Always Free tier that includes one Autonomous Database with 1 OCPU and 20 GB of storage at no cost, with no time limit. The database automatically stops after 7 days of inactivity and is reclaimed after 90 days if not restarted. It includes all enterprise features but does not support auto-scaling or dedicated infrastructure. It is ideal for development, learning, and prototyping.

Related Learning Guides

Autonomous Database on OCI20 min read
OCI Cost Optimization Strategies18 min read

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