When to use Read Replicas vs. bigger compute

This post provides a practical guide for diagnosing database slowdowns and deciding between vertical scaling and Read Replicas.

• •Read Replicas offload read-heavy workloads by distributing queries across multiple database instances
• •Vertical scaling (bigger compute) increases CPU, RAM, or storage on a single instance for write-heavy or latency-sensitive workloads
• •The choice depends on workload type, budget constraints, and where the performance bottleneck lies
• •Diagnosing the root cause of slowdowns is essential before choosing a scaling strategy

This summary was automatically generated by AI based on the original article and may not be fully accurate.