Step-by-Step Explanation:
Understand the Problem:
The application experiences slower performance during peak activity due to increased load on the Amazon Aurora DB cluster.
Performance issues occur primarily during search operations.
The goal is to improve performance and maximize resource efficiency.
Analyze the Requirements:
The solution should improve the performance of the platform.
It should maximize resource efficiency, which implies cost-effective and scalable options.
Evaluate the Options:
Option A: Deploy an Amazon ElastiCache for Redis cluster.
ElastiCache for Redis is a managed in-memory caching service that can significantly reduce the load on the database by caching frequently accessed data.
By modifying the application to check the cache before querying the database, repeated searches for the same information will be served from the cache, reducing the number of database reads.
This is efficient and cost-effective as it reduces database load and improves response times.
Option B: Deploy an Aurora Replica and use Auto Scaling.
Adding Aurora Replicas can help distribute read traffic and improve performance.
Aurora Auto Scaling can adjust the number of replicas based on the load.
However, this option may not be as efficient in terms of resource usage compared to caching because it still involves querying the database.
Option C: Use Provisioned IOPS.
Provisioned IOPS can improve performance by providing fast and consistent I/O.
This option focuses on improving the underlying storage performance but doesn't address the inefficiency of handling repeated searches directly.
Option D: Increase the instance size and use Auto Scaling.
Increasing the instance size can provide more resources to handle peak loads.
Aurora Auto Scaling can adjust instance sizes based on the load.
This option can be costly and may not be as efficient as caching in handling repeated searches.
Select the Best Solution:
Option A is the best solution because it leverages caching to reduce the load on the database, which directly addresses the issue of repeated searches causing performance problems. Caching is generally more resource-efficient and cost-effective compared to scaling database instances or storage.
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis Documentation
Amazon Aurora Documentation
AWS Auto Scaling
Using ElastiCache for Redis aligns with best practices for improving application performance by offloading repetitive read queries from the database, leading to faster response times and more efficient resource usage.