Controls how you manage a table’s throughput.
Provisioned Mode (default)
- You define the number of reads and writes per second.
- Requires capacity planning in advance.
- Billing is based on:
- Read Capacity Units (RCU)
- Write Capacity Units (WCU)
- Supports Auto Scaling to adjust RCU/WCU automatically.
- More cost-effective for steady, predictable workloads.
On-Demand Mode
- Automatically adjusts capacity in response to workload.
- No upfront planning required.
- Pay-per-request pricing model (can be more expensive for sustained high traffic).
- Best suited for:
- Unpredictable traffic patterns
- Sudden, large spikes in usage
The choice depends on whether your workload is predictable (use Provisioned) or unpredictable (use On-Demand).