Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for implementing performance engineering are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of providing, to a cloud computing system that is configured to implement multiple different types of virtual computing nodes, an instruction to execute an application on a virtual computing node that is a first type of virtual computing node of the multiple different types of virtual computing nodes. The actions further include determining computing performance parameters of the virtual computing node. The actions further include determining to execute the application on both the virtual computing node and an additional virtual computing node. The actions further include selecting, from among the multiple different types of virtual computing nodes, a second type of virtual computing node. The actions further include executing the application on the virtual computing node and the additional virtual computing node.