What is meant by “scalability” in software engineering?
a) The ability of a system to handle increased load or growth
b) The ability of software to support multiple languages
c) The process of testing software across different environments
d) The process of debugging code efficiently
Answer:
a) The ability of a system to handle increased load or growth
Explanation:
Scalability refers to the ability of a software system to handle increased load or growth efficiently. A scalable system can accommodate more users, transactions, or data without significantly degrading performance.
Scalability can be achieved through vertical scaling (adding more resources to a single machine) or horizontal scaling (adding more machines to distribute the load). It is an important factor in designing systems that can grow with the business or application.
Scalable systems are crucial for ensuring reliability and performance in environments where demand can increase rapidly, such as e-commerce platforms or social media applications.