Project Overview
Blaze, a data-driven technology company, needed to overcome high operational costs and scaling complexities in its existing MongoDB Atlas environment. Avahi guided Blaze through a seamless migration to Amazon DocumentDB using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS). By implementing a robust replication strategy and leveraging AWS-native services, Blaze reduced query latencies, achieved better cost efficiency, and streamlined database operations.
About the Customer
Blaze specializes in delivering advanced data and analytics solutions for enterprise clients. Operating in a highly competitive technology sector, Blaze’s platform processes large volumes of data and demands high availability, robust security, and cost-effective scalability.
The Problem
Blaze’s MongoDB Atlas—sized at 1.7 TB and running on M80 instances—was incurring substantial monthly costs of roughly $10K. The team also struggled with performance bottlenecks as data volumes continued to grow. Because Blaze’s application stack was heavily invested in AWS, the company sought a database solution that would integrate seamlessly with services like Amazon S3, Amazon CloudWatch, and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). If these challenges were not addressed, Blaze risked further cost overruns, slower query response times, and the inability to handle future data growth efficiently.
Why AWS
AWS offered a managed NoSQL database option—Amazon DocumentDB—that aligns with Blaze’s existing cloud ecosystem. By using DocumentDB, Blaze gained native integration with AWS services, automated backups, and Multi-AZ availability, all of which reduced operational overhead. Additionally, AWS’s proven scalability and security features allowed Blaze to prepare for sustained data growth without sacrificing performance.
Why Blaze Chose Avahi
Blaze selected Avahi because of its deep expertise in AWS database migrations and proven track record of delivering secure, high-performing solutions. Avahi s team brought a well-defined approach for large-scale data migrations, ensuring minimal downtime and data consistency. With a thorough understanding of AWS best practices, Avahi was able to tailor a migration strategy that fit Blaze s requirements for performance, cost optimization, and scalability.
Solution
Avahi designed and implemented a multi-phased migration plan from MongoDB Atlas (version 6.0.20) to Amazon DocumentDB (version 5.0.0). First, Avahi provisioned the DocumentDB cluster, VPC, security groups, IAM roles, and automated backups using AWS CDK. Then, the team deployed AWS DMS (version 3.5.4) to perform a full-load migration followed by change data capture (CDC) to keep data in sync in near real-time.
A custom index migration tool running on Amazon EC2 replicated all MongoDB indexes to DocumentDB, ensuring the new environment matched existing query requirements. Throughout the migration, Avahi monitored performance metrics in Amazon CloudWatch, validating data integrity with automated scripts. Post-migration, Avahi benchmarked query response times, demonstrating significant improvements: transaction queries dropped from 940 ms in MongoDB to 156 ms in DocumentDB, and count operations decreased from 168 ms to 9 ms. Overall monthly database costs were also reduced from $10K to $8K.
Key Deliverables
- Provisioned Amazon DocumentDB cluster and supporting AWS infrastructure
- Configured AWS DMS with full-load and CDC tasks (13 total)
- Deployed a custom EC2-based index migration tool
- Implemented real-time monitoring and logging via Amazon CloudWatch
- Validated data integrity and benchmarked performance
- Provided knowledge transfer and documentation
Project Impact
Blaze now benefits from faster query response times—up to an 83% reduction for certain operations—and a more manageable monthly database spend. By consolidating on AWS-native services, Blaze eliminated many manual maintenance tasks and improved operational agility.
- Transaction performance: 940 ms (MongoDB) 156 ms (DocumentDB)
- Count query performance: 168 ms (MongoDB) 9 ms (DocumentDB)
- Monthly cost savings: $10K (MongoDB) $8K (DocumentDB)
- Migration timeline: 2 days with a 50K commit rate
