# Metric-server cpu and memory units

**URL:** <https://discuss.kubernetes.io/t/metric-server-cpu-and-memory-units/7497>\
**Category:** General Discussions\
**Tags:** metrics-server\
**Created:** [August 9, 2019, 7:17am UTC](https://discuss.kubernetes.io/t/metric-server-cpu-and-memory-units/7497 "2019-08-09T07:17:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 2

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**Author:** ![mrbobbytables](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discuss.kubernetes.io/mrbobbytables/32/7_2.png) [@mrbobbytables](https://discuss.kubernetes.io/u/mrbobbytables)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://discuss.kubernetes.io/t/metric-server-cpu-and-memory-units/7497/2 "2019-08-09T12:53:38Z")

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`n` stands for “nanocores” or “nanoCPU”. Kubernetes CPU metrics are generally “expressed” when a person deals with them in millicores/milliCPU, or 1/1000 of a cpu. a nanocore/nanoCPU is 1/1000000000 (1 billionth) of a cpu. for a little more info the docs have a section on [CPU Units](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/assign-cpu-resource/#cpu-units) but they only really describe millicores/milliCPU.

`Ki` is a [Kibibyte](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibibyte). Kubernetes supports both [Binary Units](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_prefix) and [Metric Units](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_prefix) when writing pod specs and such, but for metrics things are emitted as [Binary Units](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_prefix).

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_[View the full topic](https://discuss.kubernetes.io/t/metric-server-cpu-and-memory-units/7497)._