Always On Availability Groups vs SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances
Developers should learn Always On Availability Groups when building mission-critical applications requiring high availability, minimal downtime, and data protection for SQL Server databases, such as in financial services, e-commerce, or healthcare systems meets developers and database administrators should use sql server fci when they need to ensure high availability for mission-critical applications with minimal downtime, such as in financial systems, healthcare databases, or e-commerce platforms. Here's our take.
Always On Availability Groups
Developers should learn Always On Availability Groups when building mission-critical applications requiring high availability, minimal downtime, and data protection for SQL Server databases, such as in financial services, e-commerce, or healthcare systems
Always On Availability Groups
Nice PickDevelopers should learn Always On Availability Groups when building mission-critical applications requiring high availability, minimal downtime, and data protection for SQL Server databases, such as in financial services, e-commerce, or healthcare systems
Pros
- +It is essential for scenarios where automatic failover, read-scale workloads, and geographic redundancy are needed, as it ensures application continuity and data integrity during server outages or maintenance
- +Related to: sql-server, high-availability
Cons
- -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case
SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances
Developers and database administrators should use SQL Server FCI when they need to ensure high availability for mission-critical applications with minimal downtime, such as in financial systems, healthcare databases, or e-commerce platforms
Pros
- +It is particularly suitable for scenarios where automatic failover is required without data loss, and when using shared storage is feasible, as it provides a robust solution for hardware failures, OS crashes, or planned maintenance
- +Related to: windows-server-failover-clustering, sql-server-always-on-availability-groups
Cons
- -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case
The Verdict
These tools serve different purposes. Always On Availability Groups is a database while SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances is a platform. We picked Always On Availability Groups based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.
Based on overall popularity. Always On Availability Groups is more widely used, but SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances excels in its own space.
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