Learn how read replicas solve the most common database bottleneck by distributing read operations across multiple database copies.
Here's a fascinating reality: In most applications, 90% of operations are reads, only 10% are writes. People browse way more than they post!
This creates an opportunity. What if we could handle reads and writes separately?
Enter Read Replicas: Think of them as identical twins of your main database. The main database (called the master) handles all the writing, while the replicas handle the reading.
How Your API Becomes Smart: Instead of one database connection, you create two:
const masterDB = connectTo('master-database');
const replicaDB = connectTo('read-replica');
// Writing user data? Use master
if (operation === 'write') {
masterDB.query(writeQuery);
}
// Just reading? Use replica
if (operation === 'read') {
replicaDB.query(readQuery);
}
Key Insight: By separating reads and writes, you've just multiplied your database's capacity to handle traffic - and it's surprisingly simple to implement!
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