DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is a fully managed, in-memory cache for Amazon DynamoDB that accelerates reads from your tables by up to 10 times. This improvement in performance reduces the response time of eventually consistent read operations from milliseconds to microseconds. DAX is designed for applications with high read volume and low latency requirements, such as gaming, ad tech, and IoT. It is compatible with existing DynamoDB API calls, making it easy to integrate with your existing applications. DAX automatically scales with the size of your DynamoDB tables and uses caching techniques, like Time to Live (TTL) and Least Recently Used (LRU) eviction, to ensure that the most relevant data resides in the cache.
Guide on DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) is a highly important concept within the AWS Solution Architect domain. It is a fully managed, highly available, in-memory cache for DynamoDB that can speed up read-intensive workloads by up to 10 times.
What is DAX?
DAX is designed to enhance the speed of Amazon DynamoDB response times, enabling it to provide micro-second performance for accessing eventually consistent data.
How does it work?
DAX works by storing frequently accessed data in a cache. When a request is made, DAX checks if that data is already in its cache. If it is ('Cache Hit'), it returns the data swiftly. If it is not ('Cache Miss'), it fetches the data from the main DynamoDB table, returns it, and then stores it in the cache for future use.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)
When preparing for the exam, bear in mind that DAX is only applicable to read-intensive workloads, as it does not have any benefits for write-intensive ones. In addition, DAX supports eventual consistency read requests only, not strongly consistent reads. DAX does not store any data permanently, but utilizes an in-memory store, so consider the potential impact of a DAX node failure on your application's ability to access data. Lastly, DAX operates within an Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), meaning it requires proper VPC configuration and security group rules.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Amazon DynamoDB Example Questions
Test your knowledge of Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
Question 1
A gaming company has a social media application backed by a DynamoDB table. They need to display a leaderboard showing top players. What solution would be best for this scenario?
Question 2
A travel booking application needs to perform a large number of small transactions. The DynamoDB tables without DAX are causing high latencies. What solution would be the best?
Question 3
A company is running a highly transactional application and uses DynamoDB. They need to drastically reduce read and write latencies. What is the best solution?
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