The blog post explores the evolution of distributed SQL databases, highlighting TiDB by PingCAP as a notable open-source, MySQL-compatible solution that allows for horizontal scaling while maintaining global consistency across data. TiDB's ability to store data in both row and column forms supports hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP), expanding its applicability to a wider range of use cases. The author discusses the trade-offs involved in database management, emphasizing that not all reads require transactional consistency, which can lead to performance and availability gains when using eventually consistent stores or in-memory caches. The post introduces Momento Cache as a serverless caching solution that simplifies architecture and reduces operational complexity, making it a valuable complement to TiDB Cloud. The author shares experiences with AWS implementations, using TiDB and Momento Cache to demonstrate the benefits of read-aside caching patterns, and encourages further exploration and contribution to the growing repository of examples, inviting readers to connect for discussions on integration ideas.