Introduction to DynamoDB Warm Throughput
Amazon DynamoDB’s warm throughput is a game-changing capability that provides insights into your tables’ immediate throughput capacity. This feature allows you to pre-warm tables and indexes, ensuring optimal performance during high-traffic scenarios without the typical scaling delays.
Understanding Capacity Modes and Throughput Units
DynamoDB offers two capacity modes: Provisioned and On-demand. Throughput is measured in Read Capacity Units (RCUs) and Write Capacity Units (WCUs), where:
- 1 RCU = one 4 KB read per second
- 1 WCU = one 1 KB write per second
How Warm Throughput Works
Warm throughput represents the minimum throughput your table can handle instantly. It’s not a maximum limit but rather a baseline capacity. Pre-warming is an asynchronous operation that doesn’t block other table updates, and you can adjust values anytime. The process completion time depends on requested values and table size.
Key Benefits and Features
- Instant high-traffic handling capability
- Automatic scaling beyond pre-warmed values
- Non-blocking operation
- Compatible with global secondary indexes and global tables
- Monitoring through DescribeTable API
Common Use Cases
Warm throughput is particularly valuable for:
- New application launches requiring immediate high performance
- Flash sales and major online events
- Data migration scenarios
- E-commerce platforms preparing for peak shopping seasons
Implementation Best Practices
To effectively implement warm throughput:
- Accurately estimate peak throughput requirements
- Focus on critical tables that expect traffic spikes
- Regularly monitor and adjust warm throughput values
- Consider cost implications when setting values
The feature integrates seamlessly with Infrastructure as Code tools like AWS CloudFormation, making it easier to manage and automate table configurations programmatically.
Visit AWS Blog for detailed information about pre-warming DynamoDB tables with warm throughput