The history of databases at Netflix & how they use CockroachDB

After transitioning to streaming in 2008 and experiencing a significant outage, Netflix moved to the cloud, initially adopting AWS and later popularizing Cassandra for global replication needs. However, by 2019, Netflix encountered limitations with Cassandra for specific use cases requiring consistent data transactions, such as their cloud drive service, content delivery network, and Spinnaker platform. Exploring alternatives like AWS Aurora and DynamoDB, Netflix decided on CockroachDB for its ability to meet their requirements of a scalable SQL database with multi-active topology, global consistent secondary indices, global transactions, open-source framework, and SQL support. By 2020, Netflix had deployed CockroachDB, creating over 100 production clusters and 150+ test clusters, primarily within a single region across three availability zones. The largest cluster holds 26.5 terabytes of data. Netflix's tech blog has detailed their diverse use cases for CockroachDB, providing insights into its deployment and management strategies.