The database is often the first bottleneck in a growing system. Understanding your scaling options before you need them is crucial for avoiding painful migrations.
Read Replicas First
Before jumping to complex solutions, consider read replicas. They're simple to implement and can handle a surprising amount of read traffic.
Sharding: The Nuclear Option
Sharding solves scale problems but creates operational complexity. Make sure you've exhausted simpler options before going down this path.
The CQRS Pattern
Separating read and write models can dramatically simplify scaling. It's not just about performance—it's about modeling your domain correctly.
