AWS ElastiCache

Overview of ElastiCache

• Fully managed service for Redis and Memcached in-memory data stores.
• Used to enhance latency and throughput for read-heavy and compute-intensive workloads.
• Ideal for Online Analytics Processing (OLAP) transactions.
• Operates on a push-button scalability model for memory, writes, and reads.

Access and Security

• ElastiCache nodes are accessible only through VPC security groups and subnet groups.
• Nodes cannot be accessed from the internet or EC2 instances in other VPCs.
• Access outside of VPC utilizes Cache Security Groups linked to EC2 Security Groups.

Node and Cluster Configuration

• A node is a fixed-size, network-attached RAM unit, running either Memcached or Redis.
• Each node has a unique DNS name and port, with automatic replacement for failed nodes.
• Nodes can be deployed in clusters, spanning multiple subnets within the same group.

Use Cases

• Commonly used for offloading reads from databases and storing computational results and session states.
• ElastiCache can manage on-demand or reserved instances but not Spot instances.

Memcached Features

• Simplistic model for large nodes and scaling capabilities.
• Multi-threaded, supporting 1-20 nodes per cluster and max 100 nodes per region.
• Lacks support for multi-AZ failover, replication, and snapshots.
• Ideal for caching database objects and integrating with features like SNS for notifications.

Redis Features

• Open-source and supports complex data structures, providing persistent data storage.
• Not multi-threaded; scales through shard addition rather than node addition.
• Offers automatic failover, master/slave replication, and multi-AZ redundancy.
• Supports snapshots for backups, allowing for data restoration.

Clustering Modes in Redis

• Disabled Clustering Mode:
  • One shard can contain a primary node and multiple read-only replicas.
• Enabled Clustering Mode:
  • Up to 15 shards, each with primary and read-only replicas; enables better scalability.

Failure Handling

• ElastiCache detects failures and promotes replicas with the lowest lag to primary status.
• DNS records are updated to point to the new primary node automatically.

Caching Strategies

• Lazy Loading: Load data into the cache only when it's requested.
• Write-Through: Updates data in the cache as it's written to the database, ensuring no stale data.

Monitoring and Metrics

• Memcached Metrics:
  • CPU Utilization, Swap Usage, Evictions, and Current Connections provide insights into performance.
• Redis Metrics:
  • Include Engine CPU Utilization, Memory Fragmentation Ratio, Cache Hits/Misses, and Current Connections.

Logging and Auditing

• Amazon ElastiCache actions are logged via AWS CloudTrail, tracking request identity and permissions.
• Redis supports authentication tokens to enhance security.

Pricing

• Charged per node-hour for each node type, with partial hours billed as full hours.
• No charges for data transfer between EC2 and ElastiCache within the same Availability Zone.

Key Distinctions between Memcached and Redis

• Memcached excels in simple object caching, while Redis offers more complex data structure support and persistence.
• Redis allows for fault tolerance through multi-AZ and replication features; Memcached does not support these capabilities.

Overview of ElastiCache

• Fully managed service for Redis and Memcached in-memory data stores.
• Used to enhance latency and throughput for read-heavy and compute-intensive workloads.
• Ideal for Online Analytics Processing (OLAP) transactions.
• Operates on a push-button scalability model for memory, writes, and reads.

Access and Security

• ElastiCache nodes are accessible only through VPC security groups and subnet groups.
• Nodes cannot be accessed from the internet or EC2 instances in other VPCs.
• Access outside of VPC utilizes Cache Security Groups linked to EC2 Security Groups.

Node and Cluster Configuration

• A node is a fixed-size, network-attached RAM unit, running either Memcached or Redis.
• Each node has a unique DNS name and port, with automatic replacement for failed nodes.
• Nodes can be deployed in clusters, spanning multiple subnets within the same group.

Use Cases

• Commonly used for offloading reads from databases and storing computational results and session states.
• ElastiCache can manage on-demand or reserved instances but not Spot instances.

Memcached Features

• Simplistic model for large nodes and scaling capabilities.
• Multi-threaded, supporting 1-20 nodes per cluster and max 100 nodes per region.
• Lacks support for multi-AZ failover, replication, and snapshots.
• Ideal for caching database objects and integrating with features like SNS for notifications.

Redis Features

• Open-source and supports complex data structures, providing persistent data storage.
• Not multi-threaded; scales through shard addition rather than node addition.
• Offers automatic failover, master/slave replication, and multi-AZ redundancy.
• Supports snapshots for backups, allowing for data restoration.

Clustering Modes in Redis

• Disabled Clustering Mode:
  • One shard can contain a primary node and multiple read-only replicas.
• Enabled Clustering Mode:
  • Up to 15 shards, each with primary and read-only replicas; enables better scalability.

Failure Handling

• ElastiCache detects failures and promotes replicas with the lowest lag to primary status.
• DNS records are updated to point to the new primary node automatically.

Caching Strategies

• Lazy Loading: Load data into the cache only when it's requested.
• Write-Through: Updates data in the cache as it's written to the database, ensuring no stale data.

Monitoring and Metrics

• Memcached Metrics:
  • CPU Utilization, Swap Usage, Evictions, and Current Connections provide insights into performance.
• Redis Metrics:
  • Include Engine CPU Utilization, Memory Fragmentation Ratio, Cache Hits/Misses, and Current Connections.

Logging and Auditing

• Amazon ElastiCache actions are logged via AWS CloudTrail, tracking request identity and permissions.
• Redis supports authentication tokens to enhance security.

Pricing

• Charged per node-hour for each node type, with partial hours billed as full hours.
• No charges for data transfer between EC2 and ElastiCache within the same Availability Zone.

Key Distinctions between Memcached and Redis

• Memcached excels in simple object caching, while Redis offers more complex data structure support and persistence.
• Redis allows for fault tolerance through multi-AZ and replication features; Memcached does not support these capabilities.

Overview of ElastiCache

• Fully managed service for Redis and Memcached in-memory data stores.
• Used to enhance latency and throughput for read-heavy and compute-intensive workloads.
• Ideal for Online Analytics Processing (OLAP) transactions.
• Operates on a push-button scalability model for memory, writes, and reads.

Access and Security

• ElastiCache nodes are accessible only through VPC security groups and subnet groups.
• Nodes cannot be accessed from the internet or EC2 instances in other VPCs.
• Access outside of VPC utilizes Cache Security Groups linked to EC2 Security Groups.

Node and Cluster Configuration

• A node is a fixed-size, network-attached RAM unit, running either Memcached or Redis.
• Each node has a unique DNS name and port, with automatic replacement for failed nodes.
• Nodes can be deployed in clusters, spanning multiple subnets within the same group.

Use Cases

• Commonly used for offloading reads from databases and storing computational results and session states.
• ElastiCache can manage on-demand or reserved instances but not Spot instances.

Memcached Features

• Simplistic model for large nodes and scaling capabilities.
• Multi-threaded, supporting 1-20 nodes per cluster and max 100 nodes per region.
• Lacks support for multi-AZ failover, replication, and snapshots.
• Ideal for caching database objects and integrating with features like SNS for notifications.

Redis Features

• Open-source and supports complex data structures, providing persistent data storage.
• Not multi-threaded; scales through shard addition rather than node addition.
• Offers automatic failover, master/slave replication, and multi-AZ redundancy.
• Supports snapshots for backups, allowing for data restoration.

Clustering Modes in Redis

• Disabled Clustering Mode:
  • One shard can contain a primary node and multiple read-only replicas.
• Enabled Clustering Mode:
  • Up to 15 shards, each with primary and read-only replicas; enables better scalability.

Failure Handling

• ElastiCache detects failures and promotes replicas with the lowest lag to primary status.
• DNS records are updated to point to the new primary node automatically.

Caching Strategies

• Lazy Loading: Load data into the cache only when it's requested.
• Write-Through: Updates data in the cache as it's written to the database, ensuring no stale data.

Monitoring and Metrics

• Memcached Metrics:
  • CPU Utilization, Swap Usage, Evictions, and Current Connections provide insights into performance.
• Redis Metrics:
  • Include Engine CPU Utilization, Memory Fragmentation Ratio, Cache Hits/Misses, and Current Connections.

Logging and Auditing

• Amazon ElastiCache actions are logged via AWS CloudTrail, tracking request identity and permissions.
• Redis supports authentication tokens to enhance security.

Pricing

• Charged per node-hour for each node type, with partial hours billed as full hours.
• No charges for data transfer between EC2 and ElastiCache within the same Availability Zone.

Key Distinctions between Memcached and Redis

• Memcached excels in simple object caching, while Redis offers more complex data structure support and persistence.
• Redis allows for fault tolerance through multi-AZ and replication features; Memcached does not support these capabilities.

Overview of ElastiCache

• Fully managed service for Redis and Memcached in-memory data stores.
• Used to enhance latency and throughput for read-heavy and compute-intensive workloads.
• Ideal for Online Analytics Processing (OLAP) transactions.
• Operates on a push-button scalability model for memory, writes, and reads.

Access and Security

• ElastiCache nodes are accessible only through VPC security groups and subnet groups.
• Nodes cannot be accessed from the internet or EC2 instances in other VPCs.
• Access outside of VPC utilizes Cache Security Groups linked to EC2 Security Groups.

Node and Cluster Configuration

• A node is a fixed-size, network-attached RAM unit, running either Memcached or Redis.
• Each node has a unique DNS name and port, with automatic replacement for failed nodes.
• Nodes can be deployed in clusters, spanning multiple subnets within the same group.

Use Cases

• Commonly used for offloading reads from databases and storing computational results and session states.
• ElastiCache can manage on-demand or reserved instances but not Spot instances.

Memcached Features

• Simplistic model for large nodes and scaling capabilities.
• Multi-threaded, supporting 1-20 nodes per cluster and max 100 nodes per region.
• Lacks support for multi-AZ failover, replication, and snapshots.
• Ideal for caching database objects and integrating with features like SNS for notifications.

Redis Features

• Open-source and supports complex data structures, providing persistent data storage.
• Not multi-threaded; scales through shard addition rather than node addition.
• Offers automatic failover, master/slave replication, and multi-AZ redundancy.
• Supports snapshots for backups, allowing for data restoration.

Clustering Modes in Redis

• Disabled Clustering Mode:
  • One shard can contain a primary node and multiple read-only replicas.
• Enabled Clustering Mode:
  • Up to 15 shards, each with primary and read-only replicas; enables better scalability.

Failure Handling

• ElastiCache detects failures and promotes replicas with the lowest lag to primary status.
• DNS records are updated to point to the new primary node automatically.

Caching Strategies

• Lazy Loading: Load data into the cache only when it's requested.
• Write-Through: Updates data in the cache as it's written to the database, ensuring no stale data.

Monitoring and Metrics

• Memcached Metrics:
  • CPU Utilization, Swap Usage, Evictions, and Current Connections provide insights into performance.
• Redis Metrics:
  • Include Engine CPU Utilization, Memory Fragmentation Ratio, Cache Hits/Misses, and Current Connections.

Logging and Auditing

• Amazon ElastiCache actions are logged via AWS CloudTrail, tracking request identity and permissions.
• Redis supports authentication tokens to enhance security.

Pricing

• Charged per node-hour for each node type, with partial hours billed as full hours.
• No charges for data transfer between EC2 and ElastiCache within the same Availability Zone.

Key Distinctions between Memcached and Redis

• Memcached excels in simple object caching, while Redis offers more complex data structure support and persistence.
• Redis allows for fault tolerance through multi-AZ and replication features; Memcached does not support these capabilities.

Overview of ElastiCache

• Fully managed service for Redis and Memcached in-memory data stores.
• Used to enhance latency and throughput for read-heavy and compute-intensive workloads.
• Ideal for Online Analytics Processing (OLAP) transactions.
• Operates on a push-button scalability model for memory, writes, and reads.

Access and Security

• ElastiCache nodes are accessible only through VPC security groups and subnet groups.
• Nodes cannot be accessed from the internet or EC2 instances in other VPCs.
• Access outside of VPC utilizes Cache Security Groups linked to EC2 Security Groups.

Node and Cluster Configuration

• A node is a fixed-size, network-attached RAM unit, running either Memcached or Redis.
• Each node has a unique DNS name and port, with automatic replacement for failed nodes.
• Nodes can be deployed in clusters, spanning multiple subnets within the same group.

Use Cases

• Commonly used for offloading reads from databases and storing computational results and session states.
• ElastiCache can manage on-demand or reserved instances but not Spot instances.

Memcached Features

• Simplistic model for large nodes and scaling capabilities.
• Multi-threaded, supporting 1-20 nodes per cluster and max 100 nodes per region.
• Lacks support for multi-AZ failover, replication, and snapshots.
• Ideal for caching database objects and integrating with features like SNS for notifications.

Redis Features

• Open-source and supports complex data structures, providing persistent data storage.
• Not multi-threaded; scales through shard addition rather than node addition.
• Offers automatic failover, master/slave replication, and multi-AZ redundancy.
• Supports snapshots for backups, allowing for data restoration.

Clustering Modes in Redis

• Disabled Clustering Mode:
  • One shard can contain a primary node and multiple read-only replicas.
• Enabled Clustering Mode:
  • Up to 15 shards, each with primary and read-only replicas; enables better scalability.

Failure Handling

• ElastiCache detects failures and promotes replicas with the lowest lag to primary status.
• DNS records are updated to point to the new primary node automatically.

Caching Strategies

• Lazy Loading: Load data into the cache only when it's requested.
• Write-Through: Updates data in the cache as it's written to the database, ensuring no stale data.

Monitoring and Metrics

• Memcached Metrics:
  • CPU Utilization, Swap Usage, Evictions, and Current Connections provide insights into performance.
• Redis Metrics:
  • Include Engine CPU Utilization, Memory Fragmentation Ratio, Cache Hits/Misses, and Current Connections.

Logging and Auditing

• Amazon ElastiCache actions are logged via AWS CloudTrail, tracking request identity and permissions.
• Redis supports authentication tokens to enhance security.

Pricing

• Charged per node-hour for each node type, with partial hours billed as full hours.
• No charges for data transfer between EC2 and ElastiCache within the same Availability Zone.

Key Distinctions between Memcached and Redis

• Memcached excels in simple object caching, while Redis offers more complex data structure support and persistence.
• Redis allows for fault tolerance through multi-AZ and replication features; Memcached does not support these capabilities.

Learn about Amazon ElastiCache, a web service that provides in-memory data stores for Redis and Memcached protocols, improving latency and throughput for read-heavy workloads.