How to choose the best AWS database for my application?

Do you know how to choose the perfect AWS database for your application and still save up to 80% of your infrastructure costs? Too good to be true? Read more in today's blog post.

There is an database for just about any project you can think of. The secret is to correctly understand their characteristics and find out which one meets your needs.

But with so many AWS database , how do you know exactly what you need? We know this can be difficult, so we've gathered the main benefits of each one with practical examples.

Walkthrough: Understand AWS Database

The first step in choosing your AWS database is to understand that there are two main fronts: the relational database and the non-relational database.

The relational database , for example, works with structured data, organized systematically in tables and uses the Structured Query Language (SQL) for its application programming interface, which promotes predictability and usefulness.

This type of AWS database is recommended for applications that require layered access and/or where data integrity is absolutely paramount. Some of them are: banking, finance and health insurance applications.

In non-relational database , also known as NoSQL, the data is not structured. With the ability to scale horizontally, this AWS database is recommended for anyone who needs to handle a large volume of data with agility and flexibility.

• Also Read – What Types of Databases Are There in AWS?

4 questions that can help you choose your AWS database

Now that you know the different AWS database , it's time to think about your application's specific needs. How to do this? One way to get started is to answer the questions below:

• Do you need a fixed or flexible data structure?
• Do you deal with large or small amounts of data?
• How volatile is your data?
• How accurate are you with invalid data being sent to your AWS database ?

By answering them, you are able to define the essential characteristics of your database. Remember that there is no one AWS database that is better than the others. Each application presents a specific demand, which can be met by one of the Amazon Web Service (AWS) solutions. Will we understand individual demands?

transactional applications

• Need: store structured data and record transactions performed by users.
• Characteristics of the ideal database: extra layer of security, data encryption and network isolation. High availability and ease of management.
• AWS Database : Amazon Aurora , which is one of the RDS options and offers better performance and availability as it can be worked in multiple Availability Zones. Another good option is the Amazon Relational Database Service , which allows you to scale, operate and configure relational databases in the cloud.

Internet-scale applications

• Need: Store structured and unstructured data, perform on a large scale, and have low latency.
• Characteristics of the ideal database: automation of operational tasks, scalability and consistent performance.
• AWS Database : Amazon DynamoDB.

real-time applications

• Need: Big data storage and low latency.
• Characteristics of the ideal database: maximum performance, self-managed and scalable.
• Recommended AWS Database : Amazon ElastiCache.

Applications that require highly connected data

• Need: Graph database, highly connected data and low latency.
• Characteristics of the ideal database: high availability, backup and multiple levels of security.
• Recommended AWS Database : Amazon Neptune.

These are just a few database options on Amazon Web Service (AWS). For a detailed AWS database , click here .

Need help choosing your AWS database

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