# Tradeoffs Tradeoffs **Topics** + [ # PERF 8  How do you use tradeoffs to improve performance? ](perf-08.md) # PERF 8  How do you use tradeoffs to improve performance? When architecting solutions, determining tradeoffs enables you to select an optimal approach. Often you can improve performance by trading consistency, durability, and space for time and latency. **Topics** + [ # PERF08-BP01 Understand the areas where performance is most critical ](perf_tradeoffs_performance_critical_areas.md) + [ # PERF08-BP02 Learn about design patterns and services ](perf_tradeoffs_performance_design_patterns.md) + [ # PERF08-BP03 Identify how tradeoffs impact customers and efficiency ](perf_tradeoffs_performance_understand_impact.md) + [ # PERF08-BP04 Measure the impact of performance improvements ](perf_tradeoffs_performance_measure.md) + [ # PERF08-BP05 Use various performance-related strategies ](perf_tradeoffs_performance_implement_strategy.md) # PERF08-BP01 Understand the areas where performance is most critical PERF08-BP01 Understand the areas where performance is most critical Understand and identify areas where increasing the performance of your workload will have a positive impact on efficiency or customer experience. For example, a website that has a large amount of customer interaction can benefit from using edge services to move content delivery closer to customers. **Desired outcome:** Increase performance efficiency by understanding your architecture, traffic patterns, and data access patterns, and identify your latency and processing times. Identify the potential bottlenecks that might affect the customer experience as the workload grows. When you identify those areas, look at which solution you could deploy to remove those performance concerns. **Common anti-patterns:** + You assume that standard compute metrics such as `CPUUtilization` or memory pressure are enough to catch performance issues. + You only use the default metrics recorded by your selected monitoring software. + You only review metrics when there is an issue. **Benefits of establishing this best practice:** Understanding critical areas of performance helps workload owners monitor KPIs and prioritize high-impact improvements. **Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** High ## Implementation guidance Implementation guidance Set up end-to-end tracing to identify traffic patterns, latency, and critical performance areas. Monitor your data access patterns for slow queries or poorly fragmented and partitioned data. Identify the constrained areas of the workload using load testing or monitoring. ## Implementation steps Implementation steps 1. Set up end-to-end monitoring to capture all workload components and metrics. + Use [Amazon CloudWatch Real-User Monitoring (RUM)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch-RUM.html) to capture application performance metrics from real user client-side and frontend sessions. + Set up [AWS X-Ray](https://aws.amazon.com/xray/) to trace traffic through the application layers and identify latency between components and dependencies. Use the X-Ray service maps to see relationships and latency between workload components. + Use [Amazon Relational Database Service Performance Insights](https://aws.amazon.com/rds/performance-insights/) to view database performance metrics and identify performance improvements. + Use [Amazon RDS Enhanced Monitoring](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_Monitoring.OS.html) to view database OS performance metrics. + Collect [CloudWatch metrics](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/WhatIsCloudWatch.html) per workload component and service and identify which metrics impact performance efficiency. + Set up [Amazon DevOps Guru](https://aws.amazon.com/devops-guru/) for additional performance insights and recommendations 1. Perform tests to generate metrics, identify traffic patterns, bottlenecks, and critical performance areas. + Set up [CloudWatch Synthetic Canaries](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch_Synthetics_Canaries.html) to mimic browser-based user activities programmatically using `cron` jobs or rate expressions to generate consistent metrics over time. + Use the [AWS Distributed Load Testing](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/implementations/distributed-load-testing-on-aws/) solution to generate peak traffic or test the workload at the expected growth rate. 1. Evaluate the metrics and telemetry to identify your critical performance areas. Review these areas with your team to discuss monitoring and solutions to avoid bottlenecks. 1. Experiment with performance improvements and measure those changes with data. + Use [CloudWatch Evidently](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch-Evidently.html) to test new improvements and the performance impact to the workload. **Level of effort for the implementation plan:** To establish this best practice, you must review your end-to-end metrics and be aware of your current workload performance. This is a moderate level of effort to set up end to end monitoring and identify your critical performance areas. ## Resources Resources **Related documents:** + [Amazon Builders’ Library](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library) + [X-Ray Documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/xray/latest/devguide/aws-xray.html) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch-RUM.html) + [Amazon DevOps Guru](https://aws.amazon.com/devops-guru/) + [CloudWatch RUM and X-Ray](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/xray/latest/devguide/xray-services-RUM.html) **Related videos:** + [Introducing The Amazon Builders’ Library (DOP328)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKRdemSirDM) + [Demo of Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3NM9j-u7I) **Related examples:** + [Measure page load time with Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://github.com/aws-samples/amazon-cloudwatch-synthetics-page-performance) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM Web Client](https://github.com/aws-observability/aws-rum-web) + [X-Ray SDK for Node.js](https://github.com/aws/aws-xray-sdk-node) + [X-Ray SDK for Python](https://github.com/aws/aws-xray-sdk-python) + [X-Ray SDK for Java](https://github.com/aws/aws-xray-sdk-java) + [X-Ray SDK for .Net](https://github.com/aws/aws-xray-sdk-dotnet) + [X-Ray SDK for Ruby](https://github.com/aws/aws-xray-sdk-ruby) + [X-Ray Daemon](https://github.com/aws/aws-xray-daemon) + [Distributed Load Testing on AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/implementations/distributed-load-testing-on-aws/) # PERF08-BP02 Learn about design patterns and services PERF08-BP02 Learn about design patterns and services Research and understand the various design patterns and services that help improve workload performance. As part of the analysis, identify what you could trade to achieve higher performance. For example, using a cache service can help to reduce the load placed on database systems. However, caching can introduce eventual consistency and requires engineering effort to implement within business requirements and customer expectations. **Desired outcome:** Researching design patterns will lead you to choosing an architecture design that will support the best performing system. Learn which performance configuration options are available to you and how they could impact the workload. Optimizing the performance of your workload depends on understanding how these options interact with your architecture and the impact they will have on both measured performance and the performance perceived by end users. **Common anti-patterns:** + You assume that all traditional IT workload performance strategies are best suited for cloud workloads. + You build and manage caching solutions instead of using managed services. + You use the same design pattern for all your workloads without evaluating which pattern would improve the workload performance. **Benefits of establishing this best practice:** By selecting the right design pattern and services for your workload you will be optimizing your performance, improving operational excellence and increasing reliability. The right design pattern will meet your current workload characteristics and help you scale for future growth or changes. **Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** High ## Implementation guidance Implementation guidance Learn which performance configuration options are available and how they could impact the workload. Optimizing the performance of your workload depends on understanding how these options interact with your architecture, and the impact they have on measured performance and user-perceived performance. **Implementation steps:** 1. Evaluate and review design patterns that would improve your workload performance. 1. The [Amazon Builders’ Library](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library/) provides you with a detailed description of how Amazon builds and operates technology. These articles are written by senior engineers at Amazon and cover topics across architecture, software delivery, and operations. 1. [AWS Solutions Library](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/) is a collection of ready-to-deploy solutions that assemble services, code, and configurations. These solutions have been created by AWS and AWS Partners based on common use cases and design patterns grouped by industry or workload type. For example, you can set up a [distributed load testing solution](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/implementations/distributed-load-testing-on-aws/) for your workload. 1. [AWS Architecture Center](https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/) provides reference architecture diagrams grouped by design pattern, content type, and technology. 1. [AWS samples](https://github.com/aws-samples) is a GitHub repository full of hands-on examples to help you explore common architecture patterns, solutions, and services. It is updated frequently with the newest services and examples. 1. Improve your workload to model the selected design patterns and use services and the service configuration options to improve your workload performance. 1. Train your internal team with resources available at [AWS Skills Guild](https://aws.amazon.com/training/teams/aws-skills-guild/). 1. Use the [AWS Partner Network](https://aws.amazon.com/partners/) to provide expertise quickly and to scale your ability to make improvements. **Level of effort for the implementation plan:** To establish this best practice, you must be aware of the design patterns and services that could help improve your workload performance. After evaluating the design patterns, implementing the design patterns is a *high* level of effort. ## Resources Resources **Related documents:** + [AWS Architecture Center](https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/) + [AWS Partner Network](https://aws.amazon.com/partners/) + [AWS Solutions Library](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/) + [AWS Knowledge Center](https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center/) + [Amazon Builders’ Library](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library/) + [Using load shedding to avoid overload](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library/using-load-shedding-to-avoid-overload/?did=ba_card&trk=ba_card) + [Caching challenges and strategies](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library/caching-challenges-and-strategies/?did=ba_card&trk=ba_card) **Related videos:** + [Introducing The Amazon Builders’ Library (DOP328)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKRdemSirDM) + [This is My Architecture](https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/this-is-my-architecture/) **Related examples:** + [AWS Samples](https://github.com/aws-samples) + [AWS SDK Examples](https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-doc-sdk-examples) # PERF08-BP03 Identify how tradeoffs impact customers and efficiency PERF08-BP03 Identify how tradeoffs impact customers and efficiency When evaluating performance-related improvements, determine which choices will impact your customers and workload efficiency. For example, if using a key-value data store increases system performance, it is important to evaluate how the eventually consistent nature of it will impact customers. Identify areas of poor performance in your system through metrics and monitoring. Determine how you can make improvements, what trade-offs those improvements bring, and how they impact the system and the user experience. For example, implementing caching data can help dramatically improve performance but requires a clear strategy for how and when to update or invalidate cached data to prevent incorrect system behavior. **Common anti-patterns:** + You assume that all performance gains should be implemented, even if there are tradeoffs for implementation such as eventual consistency. + You only evaluate changes to workloads when a performance issue has reached a critical point. **Benefits of establishing this best practice:** When you are evaluating potential performance-related improvements, you must decide if the tradeoffs for the changes are consistent with the workload requirements. In some cases, you may have to implement additional controls to compensate for the tradeoffs. **Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** High ## Implementation guidance Implementation guidance Identify tradeoffs: Use metrics and monitoring to identify areas of poor performance in your system. Determine how to make improvements, and how tradeoffs will impact the system and the user experience. For example, implementing caching data can help dramatically improve performance, but it requires a clear strategy for how and when to update or invalidate cached data to prevent incorrect system behavior. ## Resources Resources **Related documents:** + [Amazon Builders’ Library](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library) + [Quick KPIs](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/quicksight/latest/user/kpi.html) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch-RUM.html) + [X-Ray Documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/xray/latest/devguide/aws-xray.html) **Related videos:** + [Introducing The Amazon Builders’ Library (DOP328)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKRdemSirDM) + [Build a Monitoring Plan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMmiGETJpfU&ref=wellarchitected) + [Optimize applications through Amazon CloudWatch RUM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMaeujY9A9Y) + [Demo of Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3NM9j-u7I) **Related examples:** + [Measure page load time with Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://github.com/aws-samples/amazon-cloudwatch-synthetics-page-performance) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM Web Client](https://github.com/aws-observability/aws-rum-web) # PERF08-BP04 Measure the impact of performance improvements PERF08-BP04 Measure the impact of performance improvements As changes are made to improve performance, evaluate the collected metrics and data. Use this information to determine impact that the performance improvement had on the workload, the workload’s components, and your customers. This measurement helps you understand the improvements that result from the tradeoff, and helps you determine if any negative side-effects were introduced. A well-architected system uses a combination of performance related strategies. Determine which strategy will have the largest positive impact on a given hotspot or bottleneck. For example, sharding data across multiple relational database systems could improve overall throughput while retaining support for transactions and, within each shard, caching can help to reduce the load. **Common anti-patterns:** + You deploy and manage technologies manually that are available as managed services. + You focus on just one component, such as networking, when multiple components could be used to increase performance of the workload. + You rely on customer feedback and perceptions as your only benchmark. **Benefits of establishing this best practice:** For implementing performance strategies, you must select multiple services and features that, taken together, will allow you to meet your workload requirements for performance. **Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** Medium ## Implementation guidance Implementation guidance A well-architected system uses a combination of performance-related strategies. Determine which strategy will have the largest positive impact on a given hotspot or bottleneck. For example, sharding data across multiple relational database systems could improve overall throughput while retaining support for transactions and, within each shard, caching can help to reduce the load. ## Resources Resources **Related documents:** + [Amazon Builders’ Library](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch-RUM.html) + [Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch_Synthetics_Canaries.html) + [Distributed Load Testing on AWS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/solutions/latest/distributed-load-testing-on-aws/welcome.html) **Related videos:** + [Introducing The Amazon Builders’ Library (DOP328)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKRdemSirDM) + [Optimize applications through Amazon CloudWatch RUM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMaeujY9A9Y) + [Demo of Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3NM9j-u7I) **Related examples:** + [Measure page load time with Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://github.com/aws-samples/amazon-cloudwatch-synthetics-page-performance) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM Web Client](https://github.com/aws-observability/aws-rum-web) + [Distributed Load Testing on AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/implementations/distributed-load-testing-on-aws/) # PERF08-BP05 Use various performance-related strategies PERF08-BP05 Use various performance-related strategies Where applicable, use multiple strategies to improve performance. For example, using strategies like caching data to prevent excessive network or database calls, using read-replicas for database engines to improve read rates, sharding or compressing data where possible to reduce data volumes, and buffering and streaming of results as they are available to avoid blocking. As you make changes to the workload, collect and evaluate metrics to determine the impact of those changes. Measure the impacts to the system and to the end-user to understand how your trade-offs impact your workload. Use a systematic approach, such as load testing, to explore whether the tradeoff improves performance. **Common anti-patterns:** + You assume that workload performance is adequate if customers are not complaining. + You only collect data on performance after you have made performance-related changes. **Benefits of establishing this best practice:** To optimize performance and resource utilization, you need a unified operational view, real-time granular data, and historical reference. You can create dashboards and perform metric math on your data to derive operational and utilization insights for your workloads as they change over time. **Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** Low ## Implementation guidance Implementation guidance Use a data-driven approach to evolve your architecture: As you make changes to the workload, collect and evaluate metrics to determine the impact of those changes. Measure the impacts to the system and to the end-user to understand how your tradeoffs impact your workload. Use a systematic approach, such as load testing, to explore whether the tradeoff improves performance. ## Resources Resources **Related documents:** + [Amazon Builders’ Library](https://aws.amazon.com/builders-library) + [Best Practices for Implementing Amazon ElastiCache](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/latest/UserGuide/BestPractices.html) + [AWS Database Caching ](https://aws.amazon.com/caching/database-caching/?ref=wellarchitected) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch-RUM.html) + [Distributed Load Testing on AWS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/solutions/latest/distributed-load-testing-on-aws/welcome.html) **Related videos:** + [Introducing The Amazon Builders’ Library (DOP328)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKRdemSirDM) + [AWS purpose-built databases (DAT209-L) ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q81TVuV5u28&ref=wellarchitected) + [Optimize applications through Amazon CloudWatch RUM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMaeujY9A9Y) **Related examples:** + [Measure page load time with Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics](https://github.com/aws-samples/amazon-cloudwatch-synthetics-page-performance) + [Amazon CloudWatch RUM Web Client](https://github.com/aws-observability/aws-rum-web) + [Distributed Load Testing on AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/implementations/distributed-load-testing-on-aws/)