Mattermost offers both real-time communication and file sharing. CPU and Memory requirements are typically driven by the number of concurrent users using real-time messaging. Storage requirements are typically driven by number and size of files shared.
The below guidelines offer estimates based on real world usage of Mattermost across industries.
### CPU
- 2 cores is the recommended number of cores and supports up to 250 users
- 4 cores supports up to 1,000 users
- 8 cores supports up to 2,500 users
- 16 cores supports up to 5,000 users
- 32 cores supports up to 10,000 users
- 64 cores supports up to 20,000 users
### Memory
- 2GB RAM is the recommended memory size and supports up to 50 users
To estimate initial storage requirements, begin with a Mattermost server approximately 600 MB to 800 MB in size including operating system and database, then add the multiplied product of:
- Estimated storage per user per month (see below), multipled by 12 months in a year
- Estimated mean average number of users in a year
- A 1-2x safety factor
**Estimated storage per user per month**
File usage per user varies significantly across industries. The below benchmarks are recommended:
- **Low usage teams** (1-5 MB/user/month) - Primarily use text-messages and links to communicate. Examples would include software development teams that heavily use web-based document creation and management tools, and therefore rarely upload files to the server.
- **Medium usage teams** (5-25 MB/user/month) - Use a mix of text-messages as well as shared documents and images to communicate. Examples might include business teams that may commonly drag and drop screenshots, PDFs and Microsoft Office documents into Mattermost for sharing and review.
- **High usage teams** - (25-100 MB/user/month) - Heaviest utlization comes from teams uploading a high number of large files into Mattermost on a regular basis. Examples include creative teams who share and store artwork and media with tags and commentary in a pipeline production process.
*Example:* A 30-person team with medium usage (5-25 MB/user/month) with a safety factor of 2x would require between 300 MB (30 users * 5 MB * 2x safety factor) and 1500 MB (30 users * 25 MB * 2x safety factor) of free space in the next year.
