This article provides a comparison between Amazon SimpleDB and Amazon DynamoDB, two NoSQL key-value store services offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

SimpleDB is a legacy service that automatically indexes all item attributes, providing query flexibility but sacrificing performance and scalability. It is better suited for smaller workloads that require query flexibility. However, SimpleDB is no longer being updated by Amazon and is not recommended for new development.

On the other hand, DynamoDB is designed for internet-scale applications, offering high performance and scalability. It combines the best features of the original Dynamo design and SimpleDB. DynamoDB has no storage limitations and can handle unlimited write operations per second. It automatically distributes data for high scalability and offers incremental scalability, consistency, and a richer data model. It is the preferred choice for a document database on AWS, allowing applications to be built with virtually unlimited throughput and storage capacity.

Overall, DynamoDB is a more advanced and recommended option compared to SimpleDB for most use cases.

What is it?

Amazon SimpleDB and Amazon DynamoDB are both NoSQL key-value store services. However, they differ in terms of their capabilities and limitations.

SimpleDB provides automatic indexing of all item attributes, allowing for query flexibility. However, this comes at the cost of performance and scalability.

DynamoDB, on the other hand, is designed for internet-scale applications. It offers high performance, scalability, and a richer data model. Unlike SimpleDB, DynamoDB has no storage limitations and can handle a virtually unlimited number of write operations per second. It automatically distributes data for high scalability and offers incremental scalability.

In 2014, DynamoDB introduced Global Secondary Index (GSI), which further enhances its query capabilities.

Overall, DynamoDB is the preferred choice for applications with high throughput and storage needs. SimpleDB, on the other hand, may be more suitable for smaller workloads that require query flexibility.

Key Differences

Key differences between SimpleDB and DynamoDB include their approach to indexing, scalability, storage limitations, and pricing models.

Amazon SimpleDB automatically indexes all item attributes, providing query flexibility but at the cost of performance and scale. It is suitable for smaller workloads that require query flexibility but has a strict storage limitation of 10GB and can handle a maximum of 25 write operations per second.

On the other hand, Amazon DynamoDB is designed for internet-scale applications and offers high performance and scalability. It combines the best parts of the original Dynamo design and SimpleDB, offering incremental scalability, automatic data distribution, and no storage limitations.

DynamoDB pricing is based on the capacity of read/write records per second, while SimpleDB pricing is based on machine hours and storage capacity.

Overall, DynamoDB is the preferred choice for applications that require high scalability and performance.

Scalability and Performance

Scalability and performance are important factors to consider when comparing the two NoSQL key-value store services, Amazon SimpleDB and Amazon DynamoDB.

SimpleDB is limited in terms of scalability, with a strict storage limitation of 10GB and a maximum of 25 write operations per second. Manual partitioning is required if data storage exceeds the limit.

On the other hand, DynamoDB is designed for internet-scale applications, offering high scalability and performance. It has no storage limitations and can handle virtually unlimited throughput and storage. DynamoDB automatically distributes data for high scalability and there is no limit on write operations per second. It is highly scalable in terms of both storage and computation.

Therefore, when considering scalability and performance, DynamoDB is the preferred choice over SimpleDB.