1. Performance Pillars

Performance optimization on AWS spans five dimensions: compute, storage, database, networking, and caching. Each has specific patterns and services for improvement.


Core Principle Performance = right resource, right size, right architecture. Use managed services where possible (AWS has already optimized them). Cache aggressively. Go serverless for auto-scaling. Monitor continuously and right-size based on actual usage, not guesses.

2. Compute Performance

3. Storage Performance

4. Database Performance

Caching Strategy Cache the MOST FREQUENTLY read, LEAST FREQUENTLY changed data. Two main patterns: Lazy Loading (cache on read miss — simple, stale possible) and Write-Through (cache on every write — always fresh, write penalty). Use TTL to expire stale data. Cache-aside is the most common pattern for web applications.

5. Networking Performance

CloudFront vs Global Accelerator CloudFront: caches CONTENT at the edge (HTTP/HTTPS). Best for: websites, APIs, streaming media. Global Accelerator: routes TCP/UDP CONNECTIONS over AWS backbone. Best for: non-HTTP (gaming, IoT, VoIP), static IPs, instant failover. Both improve performance. CloudFront = content caching. GA = network routing.

6. Complete Performance Optimization Checklist

Performance Optimization Checklist:

COMPUTE:
  ✓ Right-size instances (Compute Optimizer)
  ✓ Use Graviton (40% better price-perf)
  ✓ Auto Scale based on demand
  ✓ Go serverless where possible (Lambda, Fargate)

STORAGE:
  ✓ Match EBS type to I/O pattern (gp3/io2/st1)
  ✓ Use S3 multi-part upload for large files
  ✓ Use S3 Transfer Acceleration for distant uploads
  ✓ FSx Lustre for HPC/ML workloads

DATABASE:
  ✓ Read Replicas for read-heavy workloads
  ✓ ElastiCache / DAX for hot data caching
  ✓ RDS Proxy for Lambda + RDS connection pooling
  ✓ Purpose-built DB for each workload

NETWORK:
  ✓ CloudFront for content delivery
  ✓ Global Accelerator for TCP/UDP performance
  ✓ VPC Endpoints for private AWS service access
  ✓ Enhanced Networking (ENA) on EC2
Exam Tip Performance: "Right-size EC2" = Compute Optimizer. "40% cheaper" = Graviton. "Cache DB queries" = ElastiCache/DAX. "Cache content at edge" = CloudFront. "Speed up uploads" = S3 Transfer Acceleration. "Lambda + RDS" = RDS Proxy. "HPC low latency" = Cluster Placement Group + EFA. "Non-HTTP acceleration" = Global Accelerator. "High IOPS" = io2 Block Express. "Parallel file system" = FSx Lustre.