# Switching from DynamoDB

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## Ditch the DynamoDB Tax

ScyllaDB is a cost-effective and flexible alternative to [DynamoDB](https://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/) – at least 50% lower cost and lower latency under most workloads. This exceptional price-performance results from a close-to-the-metal architecture and numerous engineering optimizations for performance, elasticity, and efficiency. Another advantage: with ScyllaDB, you can take your DynamoDB workloads beyond AWS and run on any cloud, bare metal, or hybrid.

To simplify migration, we offer [ScyllaDB Alternator](https://docs.scylladb.com/manual/stable/alternator/alternator.html), a DynamoDB-compatible API. You redirect your application to ScyllaDB and it “just works” (actually, it listens on a specific port that understands the DynamoDB API). In most cases, minimal code changes are required.

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<div class="cell large-4 small-4">![Ditch the DynamoDB Tax](getting-started/dynamodb/images/monster-dynamo.png)  </div>
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## Featured Labs

Follow a code-complete, hands-on tutorial to learn about switching to ScyllaDB from DynamoDB.

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<a class="card-box" href="labs/simple-application">
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        <img src="../../_static/icons/alternator.svg" style="width:24px" class="btn-icon">
        <span class="title">ScyllaDB Alternator</span>
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        <img src="../../_static/icons/alternator_white.svg" style="width:24px" class="btn-icon">
        <span class="title">ScyllaDB Alternator</span>
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</a>

<a class="card-box" href="labs/load-balancing">
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        <img src="../../_static/icons/load_balancing.svg" style="width:24px" class="btn-icon">
        <span class="title">Load Balancing</span>
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    <div class="dark-mode">
        <img src="../../_static/icons/load_balancing_white.svg" style="width:24px" class="btn-icon">
        <span class="title">Load Balancing</span>
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[Try more labs](https://developers.scylladb.com/stable/getting-started/dynamodb/labs/index.md)

## Practical Guides

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<a class="card-box" href="guides/costs/calculator">
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        <span class="title">DynamoDB Cost Calculator</span>
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        <span class="title">DynamoDB Cost Calculator</span>
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    <div class="description">Estimate costs for DynamoDB with our handy calculator.</div>
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<a class="card-box" href="guides/costs/scenarios">
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        <span class="title">Real World Scenarios</span>
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        <span class="title">Real World Scenarios</span>
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    <div class="description">Understand the true cost of DynamoDB and how ScyllaDB compares.</div>
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<a class="card-box" href="guides/migration">
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        <span class="title">Migrating from DynamoDB</span>
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        <span class="title">Migrating from DynamoDB</span>
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    <div class="description">A step-by-step look at what a migration involves and how to avoid pitfalls.</div>
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[See more guides](https://developers.scylladb.com/stable/getting-started/dynamodb/guides/index.md)

## Popular Use Cases

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<a class="card-box" href="users/yieldmo">
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        <span class="title">Yieldmo</span>
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        <span class="title">Yieldmo</span>
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    <div class="description">Yieldmo moved from DynamoDB for lower costs, improved latencies, and the freedom to run on GCP as well as AWS.</div>
</a>

<a class="card-box" href="users/digital-turbine">
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        <span class="title">Digital Turbine</span>
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        <span class="title">Digital Turbine</span>
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    <div class="description">As part of an organization-wide AWS to GCP migration, Digital Turbine moved their DynamoDB workloads to GCP in just one sprint.</div>
</a>

<a class="card-box" href="users/ifood">
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        <span class="title">iFood</span>
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        <span class="title">iFood</span>
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    <div class="description">iFood migrated from DynamoDB to ScyllaDB for lower costs, better performance, and the ability to run on any cloud.</div>
</a>
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[Hear more user stories](https://developers.scylladb.com/stable/getting-started/dynamodb/users/index.md)

## Featured Documentation

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<a class="card-box" href="https://docs.scylladb.com/manual/stable/alternator/alternator.html">
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        <span class="title">Alternator DynamoDB API</span>
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        <span class="title">Alternator DynamoDB API</span>
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    <div class="description">Project Alternator is an Amazon DynamoDB compatible API written in C++.</div>
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<a class="card-box" href="https://docs.scylladb.com/manual/stable/alternator/compatibility.html">
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        <span class="title">Alternator API differences</span>
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        <span class="title">Alternator API differences</span>
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    <div class="description">The Alternator API is designed to be compatible with the DynamoDB API, but there are some differences.</div>
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<a class="card-box" href="https://docs.scylladb.com/manual/stable/alternator/new-apis.html">
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        <span class="title">Alternator specific APIs</span>
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        <span class="title">Alternator specific APIs</span>
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    <div class="description">The Alternator API has several additional features and APIs that are not available in DynamoDB.</div>
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[Read more documentation](https://docs.scylladb.com/stable/index.html)