Teams are increasingly abandoning Amazon Web Services’ DynamoDB in favor of alternative database solutions, according to an analysis published in the HackerNoon Newsletter [1]. The shift is driven by a combination of performance inefficiencies, cost concerns, and the demand for greater multi-cloud flexibility. The article, authored by ScyllaDB, highlights the company’s own platform as a preferred replacement, citing advantages such as lower latency, reduced operational costs, and enhanced scalability [1].

The newsletter notes that DynamoDB, while once a dominant force in the NoSQL market, has struggled to meet evolving enterprise needs. Teams are reportedly frustrated with DynamoDB’s fixed pricing model, which can become prohibitively expensive at scale, and its limited ability to adapt to hybrid or multi-cloud environments. ScyllaDB emphasizes that its solution addresses these pain points by offering open-source capabilities, cloud-agnostic deployment options, and a 95% reduction in tail latency compared to DynamoDB [1].

The migration trend reflects broader industry dynamics as organizations seek to optimize cloud expenditures and avoid vendor lock-in. The newsletter’s analysis suggests that DynamoDB’s dominance is waning among developers prioritizing cost efficiency and architectural flexibility. While AWS has not publicly responded to the claims, third-party experts have long debated the trade-offs between DynamoDB’s managed simplicity and its scalability limitations [1].

The decision to switch platforms is further supported by growing interest in alternative databases tailored to specific workloads. ScyllaDB’s emphasis on compatibility with Apache Cassandra, coupled with its Apache 2.0 licensing model, positions it as an attractive option for teams seeking to repurpose existing codebases without overhauling infrastructure. Additionally, the newsletter underscores the importance of performance metrics, noting that latency improvements can directly impact user experience in applications ranging from e-commerce to real-time analytics [1].

The analysis concludes that DynamoDB’s challenges are part of a larger conversation about the sustainability of monolithic cloud services in an era of modular, open-source solutions. As teams prioritize customization and cost control, platforms like ScyllaDB may continue to gain traction, signaling a potential realignment of the NoSQL market.

Source: [1] [title: The HackerNoon Newsletter: Why Teams Are Ditching DynamoDB (7/27/2025)] [url: https://hackernoon.com/7-27-2025-newsletter]