Traffic Allocation
Pooled versus Reserved allocation for a sub-user: how each behaves when traffic runs short, and which to choose for a given job.
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Each sub-user has an allocation, which decides how the account's traffic is shared out. There are two modes, and the choice matters when traffic gets tight.
The two modes
| Mode | How it behaves |
|---|---|
| Pooled | The sub-user draws from the shared wallet; its figure is a soft cap |
| Reserved | Traffic is set aside for that sub-user alone; it is guaranteed and unavailable to anyone else |
Pooled
The sub-user may consume up to its stated amount, but that amount is a soft cap rather than a hard limit. The wallet remains the real budget.
Two consequences:
- A pooled sub-user can exceed its nominal share if the other sub-users are underusing theirs.
- If the wallet empties, every pooled sub-user stops at once, regardless of how much each had left of its own figure.
Pooled is the sensible default for jobs you control, where sharing spare capacity is a feature rather than a risk.
Reserved
Reserved traffic is moved out of the shared pool and held for one sub-user.
- It is guaranteed to be available to that sub-user.
- It is unavailable to everyone else, so no other job can consume it.
Reserved is the right choice when one job must not be starved, for example a client's scheduled collection that has to complete on time.
The cost is that reserved traffic is idle for the rest of the account. Reserve what the job genuinely needs, not a round number that feels safe.
Choosing
| Situation | Mode |
|---|---|
| Your own jobs, flexible timing | Pooled |
| A job that must not fail for lack of traffic | Reserved |
| A client's work with a committed allowance | Reserved |
| A low-traffic experimental tool | Pooled |
Setting an allocation
- Open the Users tab on a product page, or
/dashboard/subusers. - Find the sub-user's row and open its allocation editor.
- Choose the mode.
- Enter the amount in GB.
- Confirm.
The amount is expressed in GB and is deducted from the available balance shown for that service.
Reading the available figure
When you assign traffic, the amount you can allocate is limited by what is not already committed. Two figures matter:
- Wallet balance. The traffic the account still holds for that service, already net of every reservation.
- Already reserved. The sum of what sub-users have reserved. Reserved traffic is held aside and is not part of the spendable balance.
Pooled caps do not reduce the assignable amount. A pooled cap is a shared ceiling that several sub-users can overlap on, so setting one sub-user to a large pooled figure does not stop you allocating to another. Only reserved allocations take traffic out of the balance. So if the assignable figure is smaller than you expect, look for a reservation; if you want more room, lower or release a reserved allocation.
Note
Allocation figures are set in GB and stored precisely, so small decimal differences in the displayed totals are rounding in the display, not a discrepancy in the balance.