# Amazon DynamoDB Auto Scaling

DevFeed: [Amazon DynamoDB Auto Scaling](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/amazon-dynamodb-auto-scaling-24978.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://codeahoy.com/2017/07/29/at-last-amazon-adds-dynamoDB-auto-scaling/>)

Author: umer

Published: 2017-07-29T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Code Ahoy - Articles](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/code-ahoy-articles.md>)

Topics: [DynamoDB](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/dynamodb.md>), [amazon](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/amazon.md>), [Provisioning](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/provisioning.md>), [Availability](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/availability.md>)

Tags: [amazon](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/amazon.md>), [amazon-dynamodb](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/amazon-dynamodb.md>), [availability](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/availability.md>), [dynamodb](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/dynamodb.md>), [high-availability](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/high-availability.md>), [pricing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pricing.md>), [provisioning](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/provisioning.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains how Amazon DynamoDB Auto Scaling adjusts provisioned read and write capacity for tables and global secondary indexes in response to traffic. It contrasts automatic scaling with fixed provisioning, describing how scaling can help address throttling during demand spikes and reduce payment for unused capacity during lower traffic.

## Source excerpt

Amazon DynamoDB supports Auto Scaling which is a fantastic feature. When enabled, Auto Scaling adjusts read and write capacities of DynamoDB tables (and global secondary indexes) automatically based on the demand. If you haven't used DynamoDB before, you might be wondering why is this important? Before Auto Scaling, the users were required to provide fixed capacities for their tables. These capacities were static and didn't respond to traffic demands. This was problematic because: The application performance and high-availability was compromised whenever the utilization exceeded the provisioned throughput. When this happened, DynamoDB throttled requests, which resulted in loss of data or poor user experience. Cost control was poor at best. DynamoDB charges you by how much you provision. You end up paying the full cost by provisioned amounts, even if you use less than what you provisioned. In other words, if you overprovision for peak load, you'll pay extra during the non-peak hours, when the capacity isn't being full utilized. On the other hand, if you underprovision, the performance of your application will suffer due to throttling when the load exceeds the provisioned capacity. Many real-world use cases are difficult to predict in advance and fluctuations are common. Speaking of traffic fluctuations, they are prevalent and hard to deal with. In mobile gaming, the traffic can increase suddenly if Apple or Google features the game, or the publisher runs a massive ad campaign. A website can suddenly see a large number of visitors if an article is picked up by a major newspaper or news aggregator site. What is DynamoDB Auto Scaling? Historical Perspective Auto Scale Target Utilization DynamoDB Auto Scaling Pricing DynamoDB Auto Scaling vs On Demand When to use Auto Scaling vs On Demand? DynamoDB and DAX What is DynamoDB Auto Scaling? DynamoDB Auto Scaling feature lets you automatically manage throughput in response to your traffic patterns without throttling your user