ScyllaDB Cloud
ScyllaDB Cloud is a fully managed NoSQL database service that delivers high throughput and low latency for demanding applications.
Publisher review
ScyllaDB Cloud is a fully managed NoSQL database service that delivers high throughput and low latency for demanding applications. It is designed for teams that need a drop-in replacement for Apache Cassandra or Amazon DynamoDB with superior performance, offering compatibility with both the Cassandra Query Language (CQL) and the DynamoDB API. The service is ideal for use cases such as real-time analytics, IoT, time-series data, and high-traffic web applications where consistent, single-digit-millisecond latency at scale is critical. ScyllaDB Cloud targets organizations that want to offload database operations without sacrificing performance or control, providing options to run in the vendor's cloud or the customer's own account via Bring Your Own Account (BYOA).
ScyllaDB Cloud is built on a shard-per-core architecture that fully utilizes multi-core CPUs and NUMA servers, enabling millions of operations per second with sub-millisecond average latencies. The service supports high-throughput, low-latency Vector Search for similarity search and RAG use cases. It offers auto-scaling for both storage and compute, and provides multi-region active-active high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) without requiring additional components. The platform includes integrated memory caching, automatic data sharding and replication, and tunable consistency. ScyllaDB Cloud is SOC2 and ISO certified, and offers a 99.99% uptime SLA. Advanced networking options include Private Link and Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) for encryption.
In the managed NoSQL market, ScyllaDB Cloud competes directly with Amazon DynamoDB, DataStax Astra, and Amazon Keyspaces. While DynamoDB charges based on throughput (read/write capacity units), ScyllaDB Cloud charges based on storage size, which can be more cost-effective for write-heavy or storage-intensive workloads. The pricing calculator allows direct cost comparisons against these competitors, though it notes that feature parity is not exact. ScyllaDB Cloud's performance advantage comes from its close-to-the-metal design, which delivers higher throughput per dollar compared to DynamoDB in many benchmarks. However, it lacks some DynamoDB features like native Change Data Capture (CDC) and full table scans.
Key trade-offs include the absence of lightweight transactions (LWT), materialized views, secondary indexes, and CDC support, which may limit use cases requiring strong consistency or streaming data. The service does not handle highly variable payload sizes well, and full table or range scan performance is not supported. Pricing assumptions in the calculator may not cover every use case, and the Standard tier only offers 8x5 support with a 2-hour P1 response. The new license restricts commercial use for databases with more than 50 vCPUs or 10 TB of storage. Despite these limitations, ScyllaDB Cloud offers custom licensing models and dedicated support for enterprises that need to scale beyond typical NoSQL offerings.
How it works
-
Fully managed on AWS & GCP
ScyllaDB Cloud runs as a fully managed service on Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, handling provisioning, patching, and backups.
-
High-throughput low-latency Vector Search
Integrated vector search supports efficient storage and retrieval of high-dimensional data for similarity search and RAG, with high throughput and consistent low latency.
-
Auto-scaling storage & compute
The service automatically scales storage and compute resources based on workload demands, eliminating manual capacity planning.
-
Multi-region active-active HA/DR
Supports active-active replication across multiple regions for high availability and disaster recovery without additional components.
-
Bring Your Own Account (BYOA)
Allows customers to run the database in their own cloud account, retaining control over compute, storage, permissions, and networking.
-
Advanced networking with Private Link
Provides Private Link and advanced network compression for secure, low-latency connectivity between applications and the database.
-
SOC2 & ISO certifications
ScyllaDB Cloud is SOC2 and ISO certified, meeting enterprise security and compliance requirements.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- ScyllaDB Cloud delivers sub-millisecond average latencies for millions of operations per second using a shard-per-core architecture.
- The service offers a 99.99% uptime SLA, ensuring high availability for mission-critical applications.
- It supports both Cassandra Query Language (CQL) and DynamoDB API, enabling easy migration from existing NoSQL databases.
- The pricing calculator allows direct cost comparison against DynamoDB, DataStax Astra, and Amazon Keyspaces, with storage-based pricing that can be more economical for write-heavy workloads.
Trade-offs
- Lightweight transactions (LWT) are not currently supported, limiting use cases that require strong consistency or conditional writes.
- Materialized views and secondary indexes are not available, which may complicate data modeling for certain query patterns.
- Change Data Capture (CDC) and streaming data features are not supported, making it unsuitable for event-driven architectures.
- Full table or range scan performance is not supported, and the service cannot handle highly variable payload sizes efficiently.
Pricing context
ScyllaDB Cloud offers three tiers: Standard (2-hour 8x5 P1 support, 99.9% uptime SLA), Professional (1-hour 24x7 P1 support, BYOA, multi-region HA/DR, dedicated Slack), and Premium (15-minute 24x7 P1 support, BYOK, Private Link, dedicated TAM, custom licensing). Pricing is based on storage size and compute, with a calculator for estimates. The new license restricts commercial use for databases with over 50 vCPUs or 10 TB storage.
Getting started with ScyllaDB Cloud
-
Sign up for ScyllaDB Cloud
Go to the ScyllaDB Cloud website and create an account. Choose a tier: Standard, Professional, or Premium. Provide your billing details and accept the terms of service to activate your account.
-
Create a database cluster
In the ScyllaDB Cloud console, click "Create Cluster". Select your cloud provider (AWS or GCP), region, and cluster size. Configure storage and compute resources based on your workload needs.
-
Connect using CQL or DynamoDB API
Retrieve the connection credentials from the console. Use a CQL driver (e.g., DataStax driver) or the DynamoDB API endpoint to connect your application. Set up authentication with the provided username and password.
-
Load data and run queries
Insert sample data using CQL INSERT statements or DynamoDB PutItem requests. Run SELECT queries to verify low-latency reads. Test with your application's data model to ensure compatibility.
-
Configure auto-scaling and monitoring
In the console, enable auto-scaling for storage and compute. Set up monitoring alerts for latency and throughput. Review the dashboard to track cluster performance and adjust settings as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ScyllaDB Cloud and how does it work?
ScyllaDB Cloud is a fully managed NoSQL database service built on a shard-per-core architecture. It delivers high throughput and low latency for demanding applications like real-time analytics and IoT. It supports both Cassandra Query Language and DynamoDB API for easy migration.
How does ScyllaDB Cloud pricing compare to DynamoDB?
ScyllaDB Cloud charges based on storage size, while DynamoDB charges based on read/write capacity units. This can be more cost-effective for write-heavy or storage-intensive workloads. The pricing calculator allows direct cost comparison, though feature parity is not exact.
What are the main limitations of ScyllaDB Cloud?
ScyllaDB Cloud does not support lightweight transactions, materialized views, secondary indexes, or Change Data Capture. It also cannot handle highly variable payload sizes efficiently, and full table or range scan performance is not supported.
Can ScyllaDB Cloud replace Cassandra or DynamoDB?
Yes, ScyllaDB Cloud is designed as a drop-in replacement for Apache Cassandra and Amazon DynamoDB, offering compatibility with both CQL and DynamoDB API. However, it lacks some features like CDC and lightweight transactions, so evaluate your use case carefully.
What security and compliance certifications does ScyllaDB Cloud have?
ScyllaDB Cloud is SOC2 and ISO certified, meeting enterprise security and compliance requirements. It also offers advanced networking options like Private Link and Bring Your Own Key for encryption, along with a 99.99% uptime SLA.
What pricing tiers does ScyllaDB Cloud offer?
ScyllaDB Cloud offers three tiers: Standard with 8x5 support and 99.9% uptime SLA, Professional with 24x7 support and BYOA, and Premium with 15-minute response, Private Link, and dedicated TAM. Pricing is based on storage and compute.
Alternatives
How ScyllaDB Cloud compares
Direct head-to-head against 2 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
ScyllaDB Cloud
- Pricing
- ScyllaDB Cloud offers three tiers: Standard (2-hour 8x5 P1 support, 99.9% uptime SLA), Professional (1-hour 24x7 P1 support, BYOA, multi-region HA/DR, dedicated Slack), and Premium (15-minute 24x7 P1 support, BYOK, Private Link, dedicated TAM, custom licensing). Pricing is based on storage size and compute, with a calculator for estimates. The new license restricts commercial use for databases with over 50 vCPUs or 10 TB storage.
- Target
- ScyllaDB Cloud is a fully managed NoSQL database service that delivers high throughput and low latency for demanding applications.
- Strength
- ScyllaDB Cloud delivers sub-millisecond average latencies for millions of operations per second using a shard-per-core architecture.
- Watch for
- Lightweight transactions (LWT) are not currently supported, limiting use cases that require strong consistency or conditional writes.
Tinybird
- Pricing
- Custom/Contact sales
- Target
- Real-time analytics pipelines
- Deployment
- Cloud-native
- Strength
- Sub-second SQL APIs
- Watch for
- Limited NoSQL features
Amazon DynamoDB
- Pricing
- Pay-per-request $1.25/million WCUs
- Target
- AWS-native apps
- Deployment
- Fully managed
- Strength
- Single-digit ms latency
- Watch for
- Vendor lock-in
User reviews
No user reviews yet. Be the first to write one.
Sources
Reporting on this tool draws on these publicly available sources.