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An Azure B-series VM can temporarily run above its CPU baseline by spending credits earned during lower-CPU periods. If it uses all available credits, it returns to its size-specific baseline until credits build up again. That makes B-series a fit for workloads with intermittent CPU spikes—not a way to guarantee high CPU performance continuously.

What is an Azure B-series VM?

Azure B-series is a family of burstable virtual machines. Microsoft describes it for workloads that do not need full CPU performance all the time, including web servers, proof-of-concept environments, small databases and development build environments. The defining feature is a credit balance that supports CPU use above a baseline.

B-series is not one fixed processor configuration. Available series include Bsv2, Bpsv2 and Basv2, while Bv1 is identified as a previous-generation series. Processor architecture and other specifications vary by series and size, so check the exact SKU rather than relying on the B-series name alone.

How do Azure B-series CPU credits work?

Each size has a base CPU performance level and a credit model. When CPU use is below the baseline, credits accumulate; when use is above it, the VM spends credits. Microsoft defines the model using four size-dependent values:

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  • Base CPU performance: The minimum CPU performance always available to the VM.
  • Initial credits: Credits provided when the VM is deployed.
  • Hourly banked credits: The rate at which credits accrue during idle or below-baseline periods.
  • Maximum banked credits: The ceiling on the balance the VM can accumulate.

In other words, a burst is temporary extra capacity funded by credits. Its duration depends on the SKU’s baseline, accumulated balance and workload; the burst peak should not be treated as sustained capacity. Microsoft’s B-family documentation describes the family and its use cases, while its CPU credit model documentation explains the credit terms and monitoring.

What happens when B-series CPU credits run out?

When the balance is exhausted, the VM is throttled back to its base CPU performance until credits accumulate again. Microsoft states: “Upon consuming all the CPU credits, a B-series virtual machine is throttled back to its base CPU performance until it accumulates the credits to CPU burst again.” A workload that continuously demands more CPU than the baseline will therefore eventually run at that baseline rather than continue at burst performance.

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What do the published Standard_B2s figures mean?

Microsoft’s Bv1 size table lists the following values for Standard_B2s. The page identifies Bv1 as a previous-generation series; these are size-table specifications, not independent workload benchmark results.

Specification Standard_B2s (Bv1)
vCPUs 2
Memory 4 GiB
Base CPU performance 20%
Initial credits 60
Credits banked per idle hour 24
Maximum banked credits 576

These values apply to Standard_B2s in the Bv1 table and should not be transferred to another size or B-series generation. Check the Bv1 size-series table for the SKU-specific figures.

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Is a B-series VM good for a web server?

It can be appropriate if the server’s CPU demand is intermittent: for example, it spends time below baseline and has occasional periods of higher activity. Microsoft lists web servers among the workload types for which B-family VMs are suited. That does not establish how a particular site or application will perform. Compare the VM’s baseline with the server’s minimum sustained CPU demand, then validate the workload using monitoring rather than assuming the burst capability will cover ongoing load.

If the service needs high CPU continuously, a burstable VM may settle at a baseline that is too low once credits run out. CPU is only one constraint: memory, disk and network requirements also need to fit the chosen size.

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How should you choose a B-series size?

  1. Match the workload pattern. Determine whether CPU demand has genuine below-baseline periods that can replenish credits, or whether it stays high most of the time.
  2. Set a steady-capacity floor. Compare the size’s base CPU performance with the minimum sustained CPU demand. Do not size from the possible burst peak alone.
  3. Estimate credit runway. Check initial credits, hourly accrual and maximum bank for the exact size. Together, these show the starting balance, replenishment rate and accumulation ceiling.
  4. Verify generation and architecture. Check the precise SKU, processor architecture and supported guest image. B-family includes multiple generations and architectures, and Bv1 is previous generation.
  5. Check memory, storage and networking. Review the size-specific limits alongside the workload’s memory and I/O needs. CPU credits do not raise disk or network limits.
  6. Validate with Azure Monitor. Monitor CPU and B-series credit metrics, then compare observed demand with the baseline and remaining credits. Microsoft directs users to Azure Monitor for B-series-specific credit metrics.
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How do Bsv2, Bpsv2 and Bv1 differ?

The series label alone does not establish an interchangeable CPU, storage or compatibility profile. Microsoft’s documentation distinguishes newer Bsv2 and Bpsv2 series, lists Basv2, and identifies Bv1 as previous generation. Bpsv2 is Arm-based and lists no local storage, so remote-disk characteristics matter when comparing it with a size that has temporary local storage.

For a meaningful comparison, use the relevant official size tables for sustained CPU baseline, credit accrual and cap, vCPU and memory, architecture and guest compatibility, generation status, local or remote disk characteristics, and network limits. See Microsoft’s pages for Bsv2, Bpsv2, and Basv2. The Bsv2 documentation also specifies throttling to baseline when credits are exhausted. Region and deployment configuration affect cost; a price comparison requires those inputs.

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