managed objects/nodes, reconciliation frequency, scheduled jobs, API activity and worker concurrency Time the job and identify CPU, storage or external-service waits before replacing hardware.
Imports, processing and simultaneous users.Cloud Custodian Hardware Requirements: RAM, CPU, Storage & Control Plane & Managed Workloads
Plan Cloud Custodian RAM, CPU, persistent storage and service dependencies, with workload-based ZimaOS sizing, backups and practical hardware choices.
Cloud Custodian hardware requirements at a glance
Rules engine for cloud security, cost optimization, and governance, DSL in yaml for policies to query, filter, and take actions on resources Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
- RAM
- No fixed numerical whole-host figure is inferred here; follow the selected release and deployment requirements. Size the full stack during the busy operation described below.
- CPU
- No fixed numerical whole-host figure is inferred here; follow the selected release and deployment requirements. Measure CPU use during realistic activity.
- Storage
- Persist declarative configuration, credentials, controller state, workflow history and recoverable management state.
- Required services
- Follow the supported upstream runtime and complete Cloud Custodian deployment topology for the selected release. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
- Main sizing variable
- managed objects/nodes, reconciliation frequency, scheduled jobs, API activity and worker concurrency
- Practical Zima starting point
- Conditional lab, data-storage or supporting-service hardware only; a complete production deployment requires a separately verified host meeting the upstream requirements. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
From official requirements to the right setup
Plan the complete Cloud Custodian workload before selecting a server.
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Official requirements
Choose the exact edition, stable release and supported container/runtime. Follow the supported upstream runtime and complete Cloud Custodian deployment topology for the selected release. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
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Confirm your needs
Test a representative busy operation: managed objects/nodes, reconciliation frequency, scheduled jobs, API activity and worker concurrency Record peak resident memory, CPU, disk latency and completion time, including other containers.
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Leave room to grow
Place active state on reliable persistent storage. Persist declarative configuration, credentials, controller state, workflow history and recoverable management state. Budget working space for an upgrade or import and test recovery before relying on the deployment.
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Run it on ZimaOS
Follow the supported upstream runtime, operating system and complete service topology for the selected release. On ZimaOS, consider Custom Install only when a maintained compatible amd64 image and every required host capability have been verified. Otherwise use a separately supported Linux environment; this guide does not certify an unverified container deployment. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
Check every playback client
- Exact edition and stable release
- Supported upstream runtime and architecture
- All required companion services
- Realistic peak activity
- Persistent data and file ownership
- Free host ports and reachable URLs
- Working space and backup retention
- Successful database/file restore
Official minimum requirements
Reviewed November 11, 2026 against the linked upstream deployment documentation. Numerical values retain their stated minimum, recommendation or example scope; select release-compatible instructions before installation.
Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. Numerical examples above retain their stated deployment scope; co-hosted services and independent backups need additional capacity.
| Requirement | Official minimum | What this supports |
|---|---|---|
| RAM guidance | No fixed numerical whole-host figure is inferred here; follow the selected release and deployment requirements. Size the full stack during the busy operation described below. | Official guidance keeps its original test, recommendation or example scope. |
| CPU guidance | No fixed numerical whole-host figure is inferred here; follow the selected release and deployment requirements. Measure CPU use during realistic activity. | Core counts do not predict a fixed user, device or document capacity. |
| Storage planning | Persist declarative configuration, credentials, controller state, workflow history and recoverable management state. | Installation space is separate from retained content, working files and backups. |
| Service topology | Follow the supported upstream runtime and complete Cloud Custodian deployment topology for the selected release. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. | Include every stateful companion service in the host budget. |
| Persistent state | Persist declarative configuration, credentials, controller state, workflow history and recoverable management state. | An image rebuild or container replacement is not a backup. |
| Deployment boundary | Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. | Check the linked project instructions for the selected edition and release. |
When to upgrade your hardware
Use observed Cloud Custodian workload pressure to decide when an upgrade is warranted.
Busy operations exceed the available window
The complete stack runs short of memory
Persistent data approaches available capacity
Inspect the application and each required service for OOM events, sustained swap or growing queues. Reduce unnecessary concurrency before adding capacity.
Shared hosts and background work.Persist declarative configuration, credentials, controller state, workflow history and recoverable management state. Track primary state and backup retention separately.
Long-lived installations and growing collections.Plan hardware growth with confidence
Address storage, memory, compute and deployment limits separately.
Use suitable active storage
Put latency-sensitive application/database state on durable local SSD storage and keep recoverable copies.
SATA or PCIe SSD according to measured data growth.Add memory for the complete stack
Choose a higher-RAM host when peak application and companion-service usage leaves inadequate OS headroom.
ZimaBoard 2 832 or ZimaBoard 2 1664 according to the measured constraint.Separate capacity from compute
A multi-drive system helps when retained content and backup storage are the problem; it is not automatically a faster application.
ZimaCube 2 when a broader multi-drive workload justifies it.Fix the observed bottleneck
Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
Check service configuration, I/O and network behavior before selecting a stronger CPU.Can it run on ZimaOS?
Follow the supported upstream runtime, operating system and complete service topology for the selected release. On ZimaOS, consider Custom Install only when a maintained compatible amd64 image and every required host capability have been verified. Otherwise use a separately supported Linux environment; this guide does not certify an unverified container deployment.
Verify the supported upstream deployment
Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. Follow the supported upstream runtime, operating system and complete service topology for the selected release. On ZimaOS, consider Custom Install only when a maintained compatible amd64 image and every required host capability have been verified. Otherwise use a separately supported Linux environment; this guide does not certify an unverified container deployment.
Review upstream deployment guidance โUse the official Cloud Custodian deployment instructions
Keep the selected stable release, persistent paths and companion services aligned with upstream documentation.
Review Cloud Custodian official installation โCheck workload-specific deployment details
Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
Review Cloud Custodian deployment details โWhich Zima hardware fits Cloud Custodian?
Conditional lab, data-storage or supporting-service hardware only; a complete production deployment requires a separately verified host meeting the upstream requirements.
Which workload best matches your Cloud Custodian deployment?
Conditional lab or supporting storage use only
Conditional lab, data-storage or supporting-service hardware only; a complete production deployment requires a separately verified host meeting the upstream requirements. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
- Supporting hardware onlyZimaBoard 2 832
These are practical workload recommendations, not official app requirements, compatibility certification, measured capacity limits or performance guarantees. Include all co-hosted services and independent backups.
| Zima hardware | Best for | Example workload | Core configuration | Recommended boundary | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZimaBoard 2 832 | Conditional lab or supporting-service role | managed objects/nodes, reconciliation frequency, scheduled jobs, API activity and worker concurrency |
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Conditional lab, data-storage or supporting-service hardware only; a complete production deployment requires a separately verified host meeting the upstream requirements. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. | Get Now |
| ZimaBoard 2 1664 | Conditional lab or supporting-service role | Follow the supported upstream runtime and complete Cloud Custodian deployment topology for the selected release. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. |
|
Conditional lab, data-storage or supporting-service hardware only; a complete production deployment requires a separately verified host meeting the upstream requirements. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. | Get Now |
What the Press Says
Highlights from trusted reviewers worldwide.
โZimaCube 2: Not just another NAS, tested with 25TB storage, local AI agents, 4K transcoding, and real homelab workflows.โRead full review
โThe ZimaBoard 2 is a compact x86 server board that can be turned into a mini NAS, home server, media box, or self-hosting hub.โRead full review
โZimaCube 2: A modern, high-performance NAS with plenty of room to growโbuilt for users who want more than basic storage.โRead full review
โCoverage focused on ZimaCube 2's open hardware foundation, no monthly fee, and self-hosting flexibility.โRead full review
Loved by the Community
Stories and reviews from people who build with Zima every day.
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Zima Blade Little yet Powerful
Maybe I am not digital natives but I live with PCs since 12 years old in 1984 when IBM PC clone come to my home. Many years have passed and many operating system I've tried. For me Zima blade and CasaOS was a quantum leap for home PC enthusiast and server lab machine to make me stay curious and relevant for this era.
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Very good!!
I use ZimaCube Pro as 5th Proxmox cluster node. It runs several VMs and containers, including a VM with GPU passthrough to run a self-hosted LLM. A specific LXC container runs a Samba server for NAS capabilities using four of six RAID 6 SATA HDDs with ZFS.
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Great innovation for mini server!
It is very useful and makes a powerful mini server for many purposes, including university and college students in engineering and electronics. Thank you so much for making this server.
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Avaliaรงรฃo ZimaBoard 2
Construรญ um servidor de uso pessoal. O desempenho estรก muito bom e funciona perfeitamente onde quer que eu esteja. A surpresa รฉ nรฃo dependermos de grandes estruturas para termos nosso prรณprio servidor de dados. Como iniciante, estou gostando bastante do ZimaOS, pois ele รฉ simples e eficiente.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to Cloud Custodian RAM, CPU, storage, Docker, database and ZimaOS sizing questions.
How much RAM should I plan for Cloud Custodian?
No fixed numerical whole-host figure is inferred here; follow the selected release and deployment requirements. Size the full stack during the busy operation described below. Include ZimaOS, the application and its companion services rather than reserving the entire machine for one container.
What drives the CPU requirement?
No fixed numerical whole-host figure is inferred here; follow the selected release and deployment requirements. Measure CPU use during realistic activity. The workload to test is: managed objects/nodes, reconciliation frequency, scheduled jobs, API activity and worker concurrency
Which data must survive a container update?
Persist declarative configuration, credentials, controller state, workflow history and recoverable management state. Preserve a consistent database/file set and verify that your recovery procedure restores a working application.
What other services belong in the budget?
Follow the supported upstream runtime and complete Cloud Custodian deployment topology for the selected release. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
Does this workload need a dedicated GPU?
Accelerator needs depend on the selected inference, synthesis, browser or media backend. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
Can I deploy it on ZimaOS?
Follow the supported upstream runtime, operating system and complete service topology for the selected release. On ZimaOS, consider Custom Install only when a maintained compatible amd64 image and every required host capability have been verified. Otherwise use a separately supported Linux environment; this guide does not certify an unverified container deployment. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
What should I check before upgrading hardware?
Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget. Measure the same representative operation before and after a configuration or hardware change.
Which Zima device is a practical starting point?
Conditional lab, data-storage or supporting-service hardware only; a complete production deployment requires a separately verified host meeting the upstream requirements. Policy evaluation and remediation run against cloud APIs. Account/resource count, concurrency, external quotas and retained reports determine job requirements; managed cloud resources are outside the tool host budget.
What sources informed this Cloud Custodian hardware guide?
This guide was reviewed against the linked project deployment documentation on November 11, 2026. Zima device choices are editorial workload guidance, separate from upstream requirements and measured performance.
