AutoMQ utilizes the separation of storage and compute to offload Kafka’s storage layer to cloud storage via S3Stream, making Broker nodes stateless. Stateless Brokers have significant advantages in operations and scalability. Additionally, stateless AutoMQ can be deployed using Spot instances on the cloud, further reducing computing costs.

​
Advantages of Statelessness

Storage software that adopts a storage-compute integrated architecture is generally stateful software, facing significant challenges in operations, scaling, and downsizing. AutoMQ transforms Apache Kafka® into stateless storage software, making operating AutoMQ as simple as managing a microservice application.
  • Simplified Operations: For AutoMQ, daily operations become sufficiently simple. After a Broker node shuts down, its state is completely transferred, with clients entirely unaffected. Operations personnel have ample time to decide whether the shut-down Broker needs to be brought back online or decommissioned permanently. Cluster upgrades can also be completed at low cost and risk through rolling updates.
  • Automatic Scaling: Stateless AutoMQ can scale up or down freely, similar to a microservice application or a Kubernetes Deployment, achieving true auto-scaling and saving significant costs.
  • Use of Spot Instances: Cloud providers offer Spot instances that can be up to 90% cheaper than regular virtual machines. However, due to the nature of Spot instances being subject to termination at any time, only stateless applications can take advantage of them.