Help Center/ GeminiDB/ GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API/ Service Overview/ What Is GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API?
Updated on 2025-07-30 GMT+08:00

What Is GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API?

GeminiDB is completely compatible with Amazon DynamoDB, so you can access GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API through SDKs or CLIs and smoothly migrate data from DynamoDB to GeminiDB without refactoring. GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API is secure and reliable. It removes constraints of closed-source software.

  • Secure and reliable
    • VPCs, subnets, security groups, SSL, and fine-grained permissions control ensure database security and user privacy.
    • Cross-region active-active DR is supported. You can deploy an instance across three AZs and quickly back up or restore data.
    • The distributed architecture ensures fault tolerance for N-1 nodes.
  • No pain points of closed-source software
    • Storage can be scaled in seconds without affecting services.
    • Compute nodes can be added in minutes. A jitter may last only a few seconds.

Architecture

GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API is embedded in kernel services of GeminiDB Cassandra API and communicates with DynamoDB over HTTPS. The following figure shows the overall architecture.

Figure 1 GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API architecture

GeminiDB strictly follows the DynamoDB syntax and data models, so DynamoDB applications can be easily migrated to GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible instances. In addition, GeminiDB DynamoDB-Compatible API provides automated management and O&M functions, such as automated backup, fault detection, and fault tolerance.

Highlights

  • Low costs

    Companies generate increasing amounts of data as their businesses grow. Handling frequent read and write requests on DynamoDB becomes costly. GeminiDB provides higher throughput at half the cost of DynamoDB, especially when there is a large amount of data.

  • Flexible deployment

    DynamoDB is a fully managed service that needs to follow certain rigid deployment requirements. In contrast, GeminiDB offers flexible deployment options. It can run on both private and public clouds, avoiding platform lock-in. GeminiDB also delivers stable and efficient performance in all deployments.

  • Smooth migration

    GeminiDB is fully compatible with DynamoDB syntax and data models, so you can migrate data from DynamoDB to GeminiDB without making changes to applications. This makes the migration simpler, faster, and less disruptive to your operations.