---
title: DigitalOcean MicroVMs Limits (public)
description: Sizes and limits for MicroVMs.
product: Microvms
url: https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/microvms/details/limits/
last_updated: "2026-10-09"
---

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# DigitalOcean MicroVMs Limits (public)

DigitalOcean MicroVMs are lightweight virtual machines that run a container image in an isolated kernel, pause automatically when idle, and resume on the next request with memory, files, and processes intact.

**Note**:

  [Public preview releases](https://docs.digitalocean.com/platform/product-lifecycle/index.html.md#public-preview) are not recommended for production workloads.

## Sizes

MicroVMs are available in the following sizes. In the API and `doctl`, memory is set in MiB.

| vCPUs | Memory | Memory (MiB) | Disk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 GiB | 2048 | 50 GB |
| 2 | 4 GiB | 4096 | 80 GB |
| 8 | 16 GiB | 16384 | 320 GB |
| 16 | 32 GiB | 32768 | 400 GB |

Some sizes are not available on every plan. In the Control Panel, an unavailable size is marked **Not available on your current plan**. To see the sizes available to your team, run `doctl compute microvm options` or send a `GET` request to `/v2/microvms/options`.

## Limits

- MicroVMs are available only in MKC1.
- MicroVMs run `linux/amd64` images only.
- Your team has a limit on the total number of MicroVMs. The limit counts both running and paused MicroVMs. To see it, run `doctl compute microvm options`.
- You cannot change a MicroVM after creation. This includes its image, size, disk, idle timeout, environment variables, tags, ports, networking, region, and auto-resume.
- You cannot turn auto-pause off. The maximum idle timeout is 4 hours.
- You can turn auto-resume off only at creation, with `doctl` or the API. The Control Panel does not have a setting for it.
- MicroVMs do not have swap. A MicroVM cannot use more memory than its size provides.
- A MicroVM’s endpoint reaches only its HTTP port. You can declare up to five ports with `ports` in the API or `--ports` in `doctl`, but the other ports are not reachable.
- A MicroVM created from a checkpoint must use the checkpoint’s region and size, and inherits its environment variables.
- API tokens with the `microvm:access` scope can reach every MicroVM on the team. You cannot scope a token to a single MicroVM.
- Images you import in the Control Panel are available only in the Control Panel. The API and `doctl` take an image reference directly.
- You cannot add a MicroVM to a [project](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/projects/index.html.md).
- The Control Panel cannot open a console or run commands in a MicroVM. Use `doctl` or the API. The Droplet console in the Control Panel does not connect to MicroVMs.
- MicroVMs do not support IPv6, Cloud Firewalls, or a public IP address on the MicroVM.

## Command and Console Limits

- A command has 60 seconds to finish.
- Your team can run 32 commands at once and 60 commands per minute. Rejected requests also count toward the per-minute limit.
- A command’s combined `stdout` and `stderr` are limited to 4 MiB. Longer output is cut off, and the response includes `"truncated": true`. `doctl` prints a warning when this happens.
- A command request body can be up to 1 MiB.
- A MicroVM can have four consoles open at a time. A console closes after 4 hours, or after 30 minutes with no input and no output.
- A console message can be up to 1 MiB. A larger message, such as a large paste, closes the console with WebSocket code 1009.
- Console `rows` and `cols` must each be between 1 and 65535.