A permit-search API misses its p99 latency SLO. CloudWatch and DynamoDB metrics show a few partition keys absorbing most traffic. Which performance improvement best addresses the bottleneck?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Hot keys are the one checkout lane with twenty carts while other lanes sit empty. Fix the key design or fan-out pattern, then put a cache in front of the celebrities. p99 calms down when the crowd stops crushing one partition.
Full Explanation
Identifying performance bottlenecks for existing solutions includes correlating p99 latency with DynamoDB partition-level imbalance. Remediation may combine key/access-pattern redesign, adaptive capacity awareness, and caching layers such as DAX or application caches for hot reads. Hiding metrics, dismissing p99, or concentrating traffic in one AZ does not remove the bottleneck. Continuous performance improvement starts with measured hotspot analysis then targeted architectural fixes.