Techniques are provided for input/output operations per second (IOPS) and throughput monitoring for dynamic and/or optimal resource allocation. These techniques provide automated monitoring of resources, such as memory and processor utilization by a container accessing a volume. The automated monitoring is performed in order to generate and execute intelligent recommendations for improved resource utilization. Resource allocations can be scaled up to meet I/O load demand and satisfy service level agreements (SLAs). Resource allocations can be scaled down or adjusted to conserve resources, such as by consolidating containers or pods hosted in multiple virtual machines into a single virtual machine and decommissioning virtual machines no longer hosting containers or pods.