Amazon DocumentDB Serverless: A Scalable, Cost-Effective Database Solution for MongoDB Workloads

Amazon DocumentDB Serverless is now generally available. This new configuration of Amazon DocumentDB automatically adjusts computing performance and memory based on application demand, simplifying database management and providing up to 90% cost savings compared to provisioning maximum capacity. Amazon DocumentDB Serverless allows users to use the same MongoDB-compatible API and features as Amazon DocumentDB, including read replicas, Performance Insights, I/O optimization, and integration with other AWS services. It introduces a new database configuration measured in DocumentDB capacity units (DCU) and continuously tracks the usage of resources such as CPU, memory, and network from database operations. Amazon DocumentDB Serverless automatically scales up or down DCU based on usage without affecting database availability. Users can easily convert provisioned instances to serverless instances by adding or changing instance types. The main use cases and benefits of Amazon DocumentDB Serverless include handling sudden traffic spikes, managing multiple databases, and maintaining a balance between read and write capacity for complex use cases.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the general availability of Amazon DocumentDB Serverless, a new configuration for Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) that automatically scales compute and memory based on application demand. This serverless offering simplifies database management, providing up to 90% cost savings compared to provisioning for peak capacity [1].

Amazon DocumentDB Serverless introduces a new database configuration measured in DocumentDB Capacity Units (DCU), a combination of approximately 2 gibibytes (GiB) of memory, corresponding CPU, and networking. It continually tracks utilization of resources such as CPU, memory, and network from database operations performed by your application. The service automatically scales DCUs up or down to meet demand without disrupting database availability [1].

Key features of Amazon DocumentDB Serverless include:
- Variable Workloads: It can handle sudden traffic spikes, such as periodic promotional events, development and testing environments, and new applications where usage might ramp up quickly.
- Multi-tenant Workloads: It allows managing individual database capacity across the entire database fleet, making it suitable for enterprise applications and multi-tenant environments.
- Mixed-use Workloads: It can balance read and write capacity in workloads that periodically experience spikes in query traffic, such as online transaction processing (OLTP) applications.

For steady workloads, Amazon DocumentDB provisioned instances are more suitable. However, users can add serverless instances to an existing provisioned Amazon DocumentDB cluster at any time [1].

Amazon DocumentDB Serverless is particularly advantageous for AI agent workloads, which often have unpredictable resource consumption patterns. It supports features such as auditing and Performance Insights and is built on the Aurora storage engine, which separates compute and storage to allow independent scaling [2].

The service is supported starting with Amazon DocumentDB 5.0.0 and higher, with a capacity range of 0.5–256 DCUs. Users can connect to their Amazon DocumentDB cluster using AWS CloudShell and perform queries to get familiar with using a document database [1].

Amazon DocumentDB Serverless is now available starting with Amazon DocumentDB 5.0 for both new and existing clusters. Users only pay a flat rate per second of DCU usage. For more information, visit the Amazon DocumentDB pricing page [1].

References:
[1] https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-documentdb-serverless-is-now-available/
[2] https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/amazon-document-db-serverless-revolutionizing-database-management-for-ai-workloads-18521/