Skip to main content

Amazon Keyspaces

1. Introduction​

Amazon Keyspaces (for Apache Cassandra) is a fully managed, scalable, and highly available database service designed to run Cassandra workloads in the AWS Cloud. It allows you to use the same Cassandra application code, drivers, and tools you already use—without the need to provision, patch, or manage any servers. Because the service is serverless, it automatically scales your tables in response to application traffic and you pay only for the resources you use. Amazon Keyspaces is engineered for mission‐critical applications with a 99.99% availability SLA and built-in security features such as encryption at rest and in transit.

2. Features and Capabilities​

Cassandra Compatibility:
Amazon Keyspaces is 100% compatible with Apache Cassandra. This means you can continue using the Cassandra Query Language (CQL) and existing Cassandra drivers and developer tools with minimal changes—usually as simple as updating the hostname to point to the Amazon Keyspaces endpoint.

Serverless and Elastic Scaling:

  • No Server Management: You don’t need to manage or provision infrastructure. AWS handles all operational overhead such as patching, scaling, and maintenance.
  • Capacity Modes: Choose between on-demand (pay-per-request) and provisioned capacity modes to match your workload’s predictability and optimize cost.
  • Automatic Scaling: Tables automatically scale up or down based on traffic, ensuring consistent performance even during spikes.

Performance and Availability:

  • Low Latency: Designed to deliver single-digit millisecond response times at scale.
  • High Availability: Data is automatically replicated across three Availability Zones within an AWS Region to meet a 99.99% availability SLA.

Security and Compliance:

  • Integrated with AWS IAM: Fine-grained access is managed through AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM).
  • Encryption: Data is encrypted at rest by default (using either AWS owned or customer-managed keys) and in transit with TLS.
  • Backup and Recovery: Continuous backups with point-in-time recovery (PITR) enable restoration of data to any second within a 35‑day window.

Operational Tools and Ecosystem Integration:

  • Monitoring: Amazon Keyspaces integrates with Amazon CloudWatch for detailed performance and operational monitoring.
  • VPC Endpoints: You can securely access Keyspaces using AWS PrivateLink, ensuring that your traffic remains on the AWS network.
  • Developer Tools: Use AWS SDKs, AWS CLI, CloudFormation, and Terraform to automate and manage your database operations.

3. Use Cases​

Migrating Cassandra Workloads:
Organizations with existing Cassandra deployments can migrate to Amazon Keyspaces with little to no code changes. This shift eliminates the need to manage clusters manually while benefiting from a fully managed service.

Low-Latency, High-Throughput Applications:
Ideal for applications that demand single-digit millisecond latency and high throughput, such as real-time analytics, gaming leaderboards, trade monitoring, and IoT telemetry.

Time-Series Data and Logging:
Amazon Keyspaces is well-suited for storing and processing large volumes of time-series data, including log data, sensor data, and chat histories. Its auto-scaling capabilities ensure that even sudden surges in data ingestion are handled seamlessly.

Global and Multi-Region Deployments:
For organizations that need global distribution, Keyspaces supports multi-region replication. This enables low-latency access and improved resiliency by replicating data across multiple AWS Regions.

Modern Application Development:
Developers building new applications using Cassandra APIs and open-source tools can leverage Amazon Keyspaces to benefit from the scalability, security, and cost efficiency of a managed service, all while sticking with familiar Cassandra paradigms.

4. Conclusion​

Amazon Keyspaces delivers the power and flexibility of Apache Cassandra in a fully managed, serverless package. By offloading the operational complexity of running a distributed NoSQL database, it allows developers and enterprises to focus on building innovative, high-performance applications. With its robust security, built-in backup and recovery, and seamless integration with the broader AWS ecosystem, Amazon Keyspaces is an excellent choice for migrating existing Cassandra workloads or designing new, scalable, and resilient applications.