Executive Summary
Our Customer
LearnCube is a purpose-built SaaS for live online education. The platform provides multiple e-learning solutions for teaching, tutoring & training of all kinds. The primary platform features include virtual classrooms, class scheduling, inbuilt payment gateways, eCourses, online tests and a management system that streamlines administration.
The obstacles they faced
The client’s previous database accounted for two of their major requests, namely the software’s scalability and cost-efficiency. On the one hand, during the peak hours the software database was unable to process increasing numbers of queries and, on the other, the old database demanded financial influxes which impeded effective SaaS cost distribution. The client opted for ensuring stable performance of the system through running a powerful database instance in order to process the workload within the peak hours. The rest of the time, those instances weren’t used to their full potential while they were fully financed.
How We Helped
Romexsoft experts have led LearnCube in successfully completing their database migration to the AWS Aurora RDS, which features read Replicas autoscaling; this resulted in a progressively reliable, scalable and resource-efficient solution.
The Challenge
Systems are supposed to be capable of handling the load during peak hours from the operational point of view while being cost-effective from the business perspective.
The client’s app data layer was previously designed on the basis of AWS MySQL RDS, which essentially constitutes a cluster of primary write replicas and a few read replicas. The solution’s upgrading alongside the increasing number of users highlighted that the database capacity was inadequate to process read requests in peak time whereas they sufficed to operate the load at other times.
It all added up to the client’s financing the round-the-clock maintenance of a large robust database that was loaded with queries primarily within peak hours. Plainly speaking, the client was overspending for extra 22 hours of stable database operation while utilising only two hours of operating time.
With the previous positive experience of cooperation, that is Decoupling Application’s Architecture, and Building Real-Time Messaging System, LearnCube requested Romexsoft to discover and implement a solution that would both consume the surplus traffic in peak hours and make the most of the allocated resources.
The Solution
What our experts suggested was migrating to AWS Aurora while also configuring autoscaling policies for read replicas based on average CPU utilization metrics. Since Amazon is capable of scaling instances (e.g. EC2 Instances), AWS Aurora RDS also provides the opportunity to scale the read replicas of databases.
LearnCube’s migration was done in three steps with a minimum maintenance period:
- Creating Aurora read replica in the existing MySQL RDS cluster;
- Promoting the Aurora read replica to a stand-alone DB cluster;
- Updating Route53 internal DNS records to point to a new DB cluster.
Amazon Web Services Utilized
- Aurora RDS (MySQL compatible)
- Route 53
- CloudWatch
Database Migration to AWS Aurora – Infrastructure Diagram
What We Achieved Together
1. The system’s constant response time, regardless of the number of users, ensured:
- Read replicas elasticity. The system scales out beyond the capacity constraints of a single database instance for read-heavy database workloads. If needed, source database instances can be replicated and serve high-volume application read traffic from multiple copies of the data to provide increased read throughput.
- Data storage scalability. Amazon Aurora engine automatically amplifies the database volume (with a maximum of up to 64 TB) concurrently with your database storage need growth.
2. Сost optimization
- The client used to maintain a database on MySQL RDS. The 24/7 support of a powerful database for the sake of read replicas was definitely overspending.
- As a result of database migration to AWS Aurora, the monthly cost of database use was reduced by 51% in the conditions of increased database workload through the number of users.
3. Higher availability and durability of the backups
The Amazon Aurora provides the systems with automated backup features for point-in-time recovery of their database instances. Hence, the client can now restore the database instance to any moment, up to the last five minutes of the retention period.
Why Romexsoft
Romexsoft is an AWS-certified Consulting Partner, trusted Software Development Company and Managed Service Provider, founded in 2004. We help customer-centric companies build, run, and optimize their cloud systems on AWS with creative, elegant, and cost-efficient solutions.
Our key values
- Delivery of quality solutions
- Customer satisfaction
- Long-term partnership
We have successfully delivered 100+ projects and have a proven track record in FinTech, HealthCare, AdTech, and Media industries.
Romexsoft possesses a 5-star rating on Clutch due to its strong expertise, responsiveness, and commitment. 60% of our clients have been working with us for over 4 years.
Let’s Talk about Your Business Needs!
Recent Success Stories
Website Development | Customer Case Study | BioTech
SaaS Development | Customer Case Study | AdTech
Database Migration to AWS Aurora for EdTech SaaS
AWS offers a range of services tailored to the unique demands of EdTech SaaS platforms. For instance, LearnCube, a purpose-built SaaS for online education, faced challenges with their previous database's scalability and cost-efficiency. By migrating to AWS Aurora RDS, they were able to achieve a more reliable, scalable, and resource-efficient solution. AWS's flexibility and vast array of services make it an ideal choice for EdTech platforms looking to optimize their operations.
EdTech SaaS platforms often experience peak usage hours where the software database must process a significantly higher number of queries. еheir old database was not only inefficient during these peak times but was also costly to maintain round-the-clock. The challenge lies in ensuring the system can handle the load during peak hours operationally while being cost-effective from a business perspective. Overfinancing for underutilized resources can lead to unnecessary expenses.
Aurora autoscaling is a feature of AWS Aurora that allows for the automatic scaling of read replicas based on specific metrics, such as average CPU utilization. For EdTech platforms, this means that the system can efficiently handle increased user loads during peak hours. Aurora's autoscaling ensures a constant system response time, regardless of the number of users, by scaling out beyond the capacity constraints of a single database instance for read-heavy workloads.
AWS data migration offers several advantages for EdTech platforms. Firstly, it ensures system reliability and scalability. For LearnCube, migrating to AWS Aurora resulted in a 51% reduction in monthly database usage costs, even with an increased user load. Secondly, AWS data migration provides higher availability and durability of backups. With Amazon Aurora, platforms can benefit from automated backup features for point-in-time recovery, allowing for database restoration to any moment within the retention period.