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Amazon Aurora Serverless & Global Database — Scalable, on-demand database solutions
Aurora Serverless automatically adjusts capacity; Global Database provides low-latency global access.
What it is
- Amazon Aurora is a MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database.
- Aurora Serverless automatically scales compute capacity based on demand.
- Global Database enables low-latency reads and writes across multiple AWS Regions.
When I reach for it
- Aurora Serverless: When workloads are variable, unpredictable, or infrequent. Ideal for development and test environments.
- Global Database: When you need low-latency access for users across multiple geographical regions.
Key architectural decisions
- Choose between MySQL or PostgreSQL compatibility based on existing application ecosystem.
- Determine capacity settings for Aurora Serverless (minimum and maximum ACUs).
- Decide on replication strategy and read/write regions for Global Database.
Gotchas & exam traps
- Aurora Serverless can take time to scale up or down; it may not be suitable for real-time applications.
- Global Database has a maximum of five read replicas in different regions; understand latency implications.
The architect view
- Leverage Aurora Serverless for cost efficiency in fluctuating workloads.
- Use Global Database for applications requiring rapid failover and high availability across regions.
- Be mindful of the limitations and performance characteristics to avoid pitfalls.