DynamoDB throughput capacity
This section provides an overview of the two throughput modes available for your DynamoDB table and considerations in selecting the appropriate capacity mode for your application. A table’s throughput mode determines how the capacity of a table is managed. Throughput mode also determines how you're charged for the read and write operations on your tables. In Amazon DynamoDB, you can choose between on-demand mode and provisioned mode for your tables to accommodate different workload requirements.
Topics
On-demand mode
Amazon DynamoDB on-demand mode is a serverless throughput option that simplifies database management and automatically scales to support customers' most demanding applications. DynamoDB on-demand enables you to create a table without worrying about capacity planning, monitoring usage, and configuring scaling policies. DynamoDB on-demand offers pay-per-request pricing for read and write requests so that you only pay for what you use. For on-demand mode tables, you don't need to specify how much read and write throughput you expect your application to perform.
On-demand mode is the default and recommended throughput option for most DynamoDB workloads. DynamoDB handles all aspects of throughput management and scaling to support workloads that can start small and scale to millions of requests per second. You can read and write to your DynamoDB tables as needed without managing throughput capacity on the table. For more information, see DynamoDB on-demand capacity mode.
Provisioned mode
In provisioned mode, you must specify the number of reads and writes per second that you require for your application. You'll be charged based on the hourly read and write capacity you have provisioned, not how much of that provisioned capacity you actually consumed. This helps you govern your DynamoDB use to stay at or below a defined request rate in order to obtain cost predictability.
You can choose to use provisioned capacity if you have steady workloads with predictable growth, and if you can reliably forecast capacity requirements for your application. For more information, see DynamoDB provisioned capacity mode.
