Definition: What Is an SLO?
A Service Level Objective (SLO) is a quantifiable measure that defines the level of service that a system or application is expected to provide to its users. SLOs are typically expressed as a percentage of uptime, response time, or throughput, and are used to set and measure specific performance goals.
SLOs provide a way to measure and track the performance of a system or application over time, enabling teams to identify areas where improvements are needed and make changes to improve the quality of service provided. They can also be used to identify and address issues proactively before they have a negative impact on customers or users. SLOs are important because they help set expectations with customers or internal stakeholders and provide a way to ensure that the system or application is meeting those expectations.
SLOs are closely related to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) because they both define the level of service that a system or application is expected to provide. SLAs establish the overall terms and conditions of the service agreement, while SLOs provide specific quantifiable metrics for measuring the performance of the system or application.SLOs are a critical component of SLAs, as they provide a way to measure and report on the system or application’s performance and ensure that it is meeting the agreed-upon service levels.
