System Requirements

VarSeq runs as either an enterprise server platform accessed through a web browser, or as a standalone desktop application. Choose your deployment below to see the relevant hardware requirements.

Enterprise Platform

VarSeq Suite Enterprise Platform Requirements

The enterprise platform runs VarSeq in web app streaming mode — users access the full application through their browser. The server uses a Podman-based containerized architecture and runs exclusively on Linux. Additional machines called agents can be connected to run VarSeq sessions and automated analysis workflows, scaling capacity on demand.

On-Premises

Server Requirements

Linux — Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, or RHEL 9.6+
8 Cores CPU (base)
16 GB RAM (base)
200 GB SSD system drive
Workflow Data Storage
Small / medium labs1 TB
High-throughput environments10 TB+

Separate from system SSD. NFS/SMB network-attached storage recommended.

Server Size Calculator

3
Recommended Server Size
32
CPU Cores
64 GB
RAM

3 users × exome (8 cores + 16 GB per user) + 8 cores / 16 GB base server overhead.

Deployment Strategies

Single Server

All services on one machine

Server
VS
VS
VS
On-Prem Cluster

Dedicated agent servers for additional capacity

Server
VS
VS
Agent
VS
Agent

Cloud (AWS / Azure)

Pre-configured Terraform-based scripts handle all infrastructure provisioning. Dynamic agent VMs scale automatically to match demand.

Cloud Requirements

AWS or Azure account

With permissions to provision VMs, networking, and storage

Region selected

Choose a region close to your users for low latency

Quota for 400+ vCPUs

Request a vCPU quota increase in your chosen region for dynamic agent scaling

AWS: On-demand standard instances (8 vCPU base + dynamic agents). Azure: DSv5 (8 vCPU base), BS + FSv2 families (dynamic agents).

Workflow Storage

Intelligent-tiered cloud storage is configured and mounted to the server for FASTQs, BAMs, VCFs, and other workflow inputs. No upfront limit — you pay only for storage used per month.

Intelligent Tiering
Active data~$18–23 / TB / mo
After 30 days idle~$10–13 / TB / mo
After 90 days idle~$4 / TB / mo

Data automatically transitions to cheaper tiers based on access frequency.

Cloud Cost Calculator

Estimate monthly cloud deployment costs based on your planned sample throughput.

VarSeq Desktop Requirements

Standalone desktop application for individual analysts. Resource requirements scale with the size of your analysis targets. VarSeq can also connect to an on-premises VSWarehouse for shared configuration, resources, and licensing.

Small

Panel Analysis

8 GB RAM
Per user
4+ Cores
Per user
100 GB
Annotations & projects
Medium

Exome Analysis

16 GB+ RAM
32 GB for multi-user servers
8+ Cores
Per user
1 TB
Annotations & projects
Large

Genome Analysis

32 GB+ RAM
Per user
12+ Cores
Per user
1 TB+
Annotations & projects

Multi-User Server Deployment

When running VarSeq on a shared server with multi-user access (via Remote Desktop or SSH with X11 forwarding), multiply the per-user resource recommendations above by the number of concurrent users. For example, four concurrent exome analysts would need at least 64 GB RAM and 32 cores. Each user should have a separate OS login for a dedicated session.

Supported Operating Systems

Windows

Windows 11
Windows Server 2022

macOS

macOS 10.13+

Linux

Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04
Debian 12+
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9+

Network Requirements

VarSeq requires outbound HTTP/HTTPS access for annotation downloads and license validation. Proxy server configuration (SOCKS5 or HTTP/HTTPS tunneling) is supported. Organizations with strict firewall policies may need to whitelist Golden Helix server addresses.

Complete Desktop System Requirements

Full hardware specifications, OS compatibility details, proxy configuration, and firewall whitelisting addresses.

Need Help Sizing Your Infrastructure?

Our technical team can help you plan hardware specifications, review your infrastructure, or walk through deployment options.