Magento Auto Scaling
Magento is an open-source eCommerce software used for setting up an online store. It is just surface software without an underlying infrastructure. As such, on its own, Magento is not scalable. Therefore, its operational effectiveness in terms of scalability will depend on the hosting provider. Choosing providers with static servers, which are often crowded, will result in the substandard operation of the Magento site.
WHAT IS AUTOSCALING
Autoscaling is an automatic process of allocating resources to your application or website, depending on the load at that particular time. The allocation of resources can either be additive (in case there is a traffic increase to meet the new large volumes) or subtractive (if there is a decrease in traffic volume, and there is no need for much processing power from the servers). Autoscaling allows the site to perform in its optimum condition without crushing. More importantly, autoscaling removes the need to continuously monitor the site for manual configuration of the resources as all the processes are performed automatically.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITHOUT AUTOSCALING
Most traditional hosting services consist of multiple servers, which are used to host many sites. This setup allows websites to share the same resources as the servers. Unfortunately, without load balancing and scalability, the sites tend to chew more than their share of the resources, leaving other sites to suffer low response time and, sometimes, even downtime. However, these traditional hosting providers also have dedicated hosting plans. These allow you to use your servers for your Magento site. It eliminates some of the problems encountered on the shared servers. But as your site grows, so does the need to continue upgrading your dedicated server. Moreover, these servers have a fixed monthly payment plan, which means that even if your site is experiencing low traffic volumes for a certain period, you are still expected to pay the same amount of money.
Traditional servers have one major disadvantage: they are not scalable. If you are a start-up, you might think that it is not essential, but it has been proven countlessly that it is. In 2016, Macy’s department store, one of the largest in the United States, experienced an overloaded site on Black Friday. What was supposed to be their major profit-making day turned into a very frustrating experience. Customers could not access their online store, which was experiencing a slow down due to the traffic surge, which they were not prepared for. If a traffic surge can cause issues to big companies, almost everyone is vulnerable and needs to make necessary adjustments to ensure that it never occurs to them.
Without autoscaling, your Magento site will likely experience downtime whenever traffic volumes increase. If your site becomes unavailable when the customers need you the most, then they will become frustrated. As a result, your service will be replaced quickly by your competitors. Your credibility as being trustworthy will decrease drastically, and it will have a huge impact on your business. If your clients don’t appreciate your service, future customers will be skeptical to try you out. Without people to use or buy your products and services, your profits will decrease. Performing another campaign to convince customers of the improvements could be time-consuming and expensive at the same time. It won’t be long enough before the company becomes insolvent, and you are forced to get out of the business. The absence of autoscaling results in slow-loading pages and payments processing, which also is frustrating to clients.
However, all this is preventable by launching your Magento site on a scalable platform. At OpsWorks Co., we have the solution for scaling your Magento website to ensure that you never experience these possible outcomes. On our platform your Magento site is categorically grouped into auto scalable Magento cluster components. It improves its adaptability to suit any arising conditions.
BENEFITS OF AUTOSCALING
With autoscaling, your site won’t be affected by the traffic surges that occur at any time. The traffic increase actually will be good news to you as it will be more profitable for the business. Moreover, using a scalable Magento cluster site, you are guaranteed a 24/7 online presence. It is so that your site won’t be affected by the increase of the clients who access your site. A site that is always available for the customers will induce trust in them, and the company’s reputation of being reliable will also increase. By satisfying customers, you can retain more of them. Furthermore, you will also be able to attract more customers from your competition if they see how people are happy with your services. More customers mean more money for the business.
Autoscaling uses the principle of using resources as per demand. As such, you will save money by using only the resources that are currently required by the load. This setup prevents the servers from maxing out, resulting in site crushes, which causes downtime and loss of valuable data for the company. Furthermore, by using only required resources, you save money, and the business becomes more profitable.
HOW AUTOSCALING WORKS
Autoscaling architecture works by adjusting the parameters of the server to accommodate the new configuration. With autoscaling, trigger points are set up to adjust the server specifications. For example, when the processing power of the server reaches 75%, another server is called upon to share the load such that it never exceeds the set threshold. Also, when the traffic resides at 20%, a trigger point can be set to reduce the computing power so that there is no wastage of resources. The best thing with autoscaling is that once these parameters are set, then it is complete. You relax without having to be concerned with the technicalities associated with running your site as these processes are automatic.
Furthermore, there are tools available to make autoscaling efficient. First, there is MGT Code deploy, which allows you to access different servers in different locations. If something wrong pops up, and there is a need for troubleshooting, this software makes it easy to access your servers, irrespective of their location, with much ease. This tool is specifically for Magento, offering fast centralized control.
Second, there is MGT Cloud Log. This tool allows troubleshooting to be easy and effective by logging all the operations of the site. Most importantly, it provides a real-time warning in case a fault occurs on your site so that prompt action is taken to correct the problem.
Finally, there is MGT WAF (Web Application Firewall). MGT WAF protects your Magento site. It protects your eCommerce store from common web exploits that affect availability, consume unnecessary power, and compromise the store’s security.
WHY YOU NEED AUTOSCALING
The need for autoscaling is a must-have preparation if you are into business and looking to grow. It enables your Magento site to accommodate new clients seamlessly without the need to stress about additional resources. The best thing about autoscaling is that it is suitable for all business types, whether small or big. It facilitates flexible enterprise Magento hosting through automatic control of scaling elements. Therefore, all can be accommodated to use the autoscaling platform. Autoscaling provides a long-term plan for the site to grow and become profitable without ever experiencing downtime.
With autoscaling, you are guaranteed site flexibility and automatic adjustment to suit the amount of traffic being experienced by your site. A scalable Magento site guarantees a smooth operation. Furthermore, it ensures 100% availability no matter how high the traffic volume is. Besides, your site will load faster, irrespective of the number of requests being sent over.
AWS FOR MAGENTO AUTOSCALING
AWS is a cloud-based hosting provider. By using AWS, Magento scaling becomes a fast-responsive site that is always available to your clients. At OpsWorks Co., we use AWS coupled with Kubernetes. Kubernetes is a container-based platform that further extends the capabilities of autoscaling to another level. It allows easy deployment of applications, isolation setups such that even if one section of your site becomes affected, it does not propagate to other sections. Moreover, it offers a redundancy system to replace any malfunctioning section of your site to ensure that your site stays up regardless of any problem encountered. All this is done by using containers, which include Magento cluster components. It prevents any inconveniences to the customers and helps maintain the company’s status as reliable and effective. On top of that, AWS has a DNS system with servers spread across the globe to ensure that all your clients access your services as fast as possible, irrespective of their geographical location.
By hosting your Magento on AWS, not only do you avoid the problems associated with traditional hosting services, but you get to enjoy the full benefits of autoscaling to the fullest. You also get continuous monitoring and automatic adjustment to your site. It achieves long performance predictability at the lowest affordable costs. At OpsWorks Co., you don’t have to pay monthly fixed costs for the resources you probably used less than half of. You only pay for the resources used by your site, which is very fair. In cases where your site experiences low volumes, you don’t have to pay more than you need. Furthermore, at Opsworks Co., we have experience in the retail business to optimize your online store.
CONCLUSION
With AWS, Magento sites are fully scalable. Therefore, to enjoy the full benefits of autoscaling, make sure that you contact only experts to set up your site. Fortunately, at OpsWorks Co., we have a team of dedicated professionals who will provide any level of assistance at every stage of setting up your site until it is functional. We also offer migration services from physical to cloud servers, which is not an easy task.
When the time comes to set up your eCommerce Magento store or migrate it, you will always know that OpsWorks Co. provides nothing other than exceptional service. To be the best, you should work with the best, and that’s us. Our strategy of AWS coupled with Kubernetes provides the ultimate solution for all your scaling requirements. For more convincing proof, you can check our solution for scaling Magento.
