Machine Tiers

Runtime offers three machine tiers. All deployments use suspended state by default - machines pause when idle and resume on incoming requests with fast cold starts.

Choosing a tier

starter
standard
performance

256 MB RAM • 1 shared CPUThe default for most workloads. Good for simple APIs, webhooks, and tools.

# runtm.yaml
tier: starter

512 MB RAM • 1 shared CPURequired for fullstack apps. Good for web apps with moderate memory usage.

# runtm.yaml
tier: standard

The web-app template requires at least standard because it runs Node.js and Python simultaneously.

1 GB RAM • 2 shared CPUsFor heavy workloads like AI/ML processing or high-traffic services.

# runtm.yaml
tier: performance

Suspended state

Runtime uses Fly.io’s suspended state instead of full machine stops:

Machines suspend after a period of inactivity
Resume in ~300-500ms on incoming requests (vs 1-2s for cold start)
Memory state is preserved during suspension
You only pay for active compute time

This gives you the cost benefits of serverless with near-instant response times.

Setting the tier

In your manifest

# runtm.yaml
name: my-service
template: backend-service
runtime: python
tier: standard

At deploy time

Override the manifest tier:

runtm deploy --tier performance

Change without rebuilding

Use config-only deploys to change tier instantly:

runtm deploy --tier standard --config-only

Template requirements

Template	Minimum tier
`backend-service`	starter
`static-site`	starter
`web-app`	standard

When to upgrade

Getting out-of-memory errors → upgrade tier
Response times degrading under load → upgrade tier
Running AI models or heavy processing → use performance

Check memory usage in logs:

runtm logs <deployment_id> --type runtime

Open Source

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Choosing a tier

Suspended state

Setting the tier

In your manifest

At deploy time

Change without rebuilding

Template requirements

When to upgrade

​Choosing a tier

​Suspended state

​Setting the tier

​In your manifest

​At deploy time

​Change without rebuilding

​Template requirements

​When to upgrade

Choosing a tier

Suspended state

Setting the tier

In your manifest

At deploy time

Change without rebuilding

Template requirements

When to upgrade