Azure Cosmos DB updates were in abundance at Microsoft Build, so here is a quick run through of our highlights along with links for further reading.
Serverless – Generally Available
Announced in preview in Build 2021, this has now hit general availability. This new tier goes a long way for optimising costs in applications that have spiky traffic patterns. Rather than trying to predict the throughput, simply choose the serverless option and you will only be charged for the resources consumed by your database operations.
Consumption-based serverless offer in Azure Cosmos DB | Microsoft Docs
Expanded Throughput and Storage for Free Tier – Generally Available
The free tier request units per second have now gone up from 400 to 1,000 and the monthly storage has been raised from 5 GB to 2 GB in a generous move by the Azure Cosmos DB team. If you already use a free account this will have been applied automatically.
Build apps for free with Azure Cosmos DB Free Tier | Azure Cosmos DB Blog (microsoft.com)
Always Encrypted – Preview
Announced into preview, always encrypted allows developers to encrypt data in the client application before storing it in the cloud. This extra level of protection is perfect for those working with confidential and sensitive data and for those needing to comply with regulatory requirements.
Use client-side encryption with Always Encrypted for Azure Cosmos DB | Microsoft Docs
Integrated Cache – Preview
Another way to optimize costs is coming soon with Azure Cosmos DB integrated cache. This is an in-memory cache that doesn’t require writing any code. This helps guarantee manageable costs and low latency reads as request volume grows.
How to configure the Azure Cosmos DB integrated cache | Microsoft Docs
Partial Document Update – Private Preview
Partial document update will help reduce network payload and lower latency by replacing a full read-replace with path-level document changes when only portions of a document get updated.
Private preview: Partial document update request nomination form (office.com)
