Amazon DynamoDB vs Apache Cassandra

AWS's NoSQL workhorse: scales like a dream, but you'll pay for every query and pray you never need a JOIN meets the distributed database that scales like a dream but queries like a nightmare. Here's our take.

Amazon DynamoDB

AWS's NoSQL workhorse: scales like a dream, but you'll pay for every query and pray you never need a JOIN.

Pros

• Fully managed with automatic scaling and multi-AZ replication
• Single-digit millisecond latency for key-value operations
• Built-in security, backup, and in-memory caching with DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX)

Cons

• Pricing model can get expensive with high throughput or large datasets
• Limited query flexibility compared to relational databases (no JOINs, complex queries)

Apache Cassandra

Nice Pick

The distributed database that scales like a dream but queries like a nightmare.

Pros

• Massive horizontal scalability with no single point of failure
• Excellent write performance for time-series and IoT data
• Flexible schema design that evolves without downtime

Cons

• Complex querying with limited JOIN support
• Steep learning curve for data modeling and tuning

The Verdict

Use Apache Cassandra if: You want massive horizontal scalability with no single point of failure and can live with complex querying with limited join support.

Use Amazon DynamoDB if: You prioritize fully managed with automatic scaling and multi-az replication over what Apache Cassandra offers.

The Bottom Line

Apache Cassandra wins

The distributed database that scales like a dream but queries like a nightmare.