Opensearch Managed vs Serverless?

Amazon OpenSearch Service offers both managed and serverless options, each with its own advantages and considerations:

Managed OpenSearch Service: Pros:

• Greater control over cluster configuration and node types
• Ability to fine-tune performance and cost optimization
• Support for a wider range of OpenSearch features and API operations

Cons:

• Requires manual capacity planning and scaling
• More complex management of clusters, nodes, and shards
• Need to handle software updates and version upgrades manually

OpenSearch Serverless: Pros:

• Automatic scaling and capacity management
• Simplified operations with no need to manage clusters or nodes
• Pay only for resources consumed
• Automatic software updates and version upgrades
• High availability and built-in redundancy

Cons:

• Less granular control over infrastructure
• Support for a subset of OpenSearch API operations
• May have some feature limitations compared to managed service

Regarding your current situation with managed OpenSearch where you need to increase nodes during high traffic periods, moving to OpenSearch Serverless could indeed help solve this issue. OpenSearch Serverless automatically scales resources to maintain consistent performance for data ingestion and query response times. It removes the need for manual capacity planning and can handle fluctuating workloads without requiring you to manually add or remove nodes.

With serverless, you don't have to worry about provisioning or overprovisioning for peak workloads. The service will automatically scale up during high traffic periods and scale down when demand decreases, potentially offering a more cost-effective solution for variable workloads. This automatic scaling can help maintain performance during traffic spikes without manual intervention.

However, before making the switch, consider your specific use case, required features, and the level of control you need over your infrastructure. While serverless offers simplified management and automatic scaling, it may not be suitable if you require very specific cluster configurations or use features not yet supported in the serverless offering.

Sources
Comparing OpenSearch Service and OpenSearch Serverless - Amazon OpenSearch Service
Amazon OpenSearch Serverless - Amazon OpenSearch Service
Open-Source Search Engine - Amazon OpenSearch Service Managed Service - AWS
What is Amazon OpenSearch Serverless? - Amazon OpenSearch Service

Hi,

You may want to read these articles on this exact topic:

• https://medium.com/@blakeromano/aws-opensearch-serverless-vs-provisioned-b5385d6b20d8
• https://logit.io/blog/post/opensearch-serverless/

Best,

Didier