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Version: Next (v1.11)

Spice.ai Open Source System Requirements

This document outlines the system requirements for running Spice.ai Open Source. Ensure your environment meets these requirements to achieve optimal performance and stability. Note that resource requirements, particularly memory and storage, are highly dependent on workload and data. Specific recommendations are provided later in this document.

Operating Systems and Architectures​

Spice.ai supports the following operating systems and architectures:

  • Linux (x86_64): Linux 5.10 or later, Intel 64-bit processor
  • Linux (ARM64): Linux 5.10 or later, ARM 64-bit processor
  • Apple macOS (ARM64): macOS 14 "Sonoma" or later, Apple 64-bit processor (M-series)
  • Microsoft Windows (x64): Windows 11 or later, Intel 64-bit processor

Linux Distribution Support​

Spice.ai supports the following Linux distributions:

  • Ubuntu Server LTS: 22.04 "Jammy Jellyfish" or later
  • Debian: 12 "Bookworm" or later
  • Amazon Linux: 2 or later

Server or Instance Hardware Requirements​

Recommended minimum hardware specifications:

  • CPU: Quad-core processor
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Storage: 50 GB available disk space

Network Requirements​

  • Internet Connection: Required for downloading dependencies and updates.
  • Remote Data Sources: A low-latency, high-bandwidth connection (1-10 Gbps+) is recommended for accessing remote data, model, tools, and embedding providers.

Port Requirements​

The following ports are used:

DescriptionPort
HTTP / HTTPS (if TLS is configured)8090
Metrics Endpoint9090
Arrow Flight / ADBC/ODBC/JDBC50051

Kubernetes Requirements​

When deploying Spice.ai on Kubernetes, it is important to configure your pod specifications appropriately to ensure optimal performance. Below are the recommended minimum configurations for CPU and memory requests:

PodSpec Configuration​

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: spice-ai-pod
spec:
  containers:
    - name: spice-ai-container
      image: spiceai/spiceai:latest-models
      resources:
        requests:
          memory: '8Gi'
          cpu: '4'
        limits:
          memory: '16Gi'  # Set higher than request for burst capacity
          # Do not set CPU limits - see recommendations below
CPU Limits

Avoid setting CPU limits for Spice pods. CPU limits can cause throttling even when CPU is available, leading to degraded query performance and increased latency. Instead, set appropriate CPU requests to guarantee scheduling and allow pods to burst when needed. For more details, see Kubernetes CPU requests and limits.

Resource Requirements Based on Workload and Data​

Spice resource requirements, particularly memory, are highly dependent on workload and data. The following table provides memory recommendations based on the dataset size and refresh_mode:

Refresh ModeMemory Recommendation
refresh_mode: full2.5x the dataset size
refresh_mode: append1.5x the dataset size

See Memory Management and Best Pratices for a detailed guide on memory considerations.

Additional Considerations​

  • Security: Regularly update your operating system and software dependencies to the latest versions to ensure security and stability.
  • Backups: Implement a regular backup strategy for your database and configuration files.
  • Monitoring: Ensure proper observability tools are in place for monitoring system performance and resource utilization.