BetterDB vs CloudWatch
CloudWatch will tell you your ElastiCache memory hit 99.9% and fragmentation reached 6.1. What it can't tell you: what wrote all that data, which keys, and which service did it. Those are database questions, not infrastructure questions.
Different layers of the same system
| Need | BetterDB | CloudWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Instance-level metrics (memory, CPU, network, connections) | Yes, at 1-second resolution | Yes, per-minute granularity |
| AWS infrastructure context (nodes, failover events, service quotas) | Database-level only | Purpose-built |
| Slowlog visibility | Persisted continuously with pattern analysis | ElastiCache can ship slow-log JSON to CloudWatch Logs (if enabled); MemoryDB has no slowlog delivery |
| Command pattern analytics (which pattern caused the slow time) | Built in | Not available - raw log lines at best |
| Client attribution (which service wrote 1.4 GB) | Built in, persisted | Connection counts only |
| Hot key and key-level analysis | Top-50 tracking, key analytics | Not available |
| Anomaly detection | Correlated multi-metric diagnoses in plain English | Per-metric statistical bands |
| Valkey-native surfaces (COMMANDLOG, SLOT-STATS) | Native on Valkey 8.x | Not exposed |
| Works outside AWS | Anywhere - self-hosted, other clouds, on-prem | AWS only |
| Cost model | Free MIT core; one deployment monitors multiple instances | Per-metric, per-alarm, per-GB-ingested charges |
Keep CloudWatch for AWS infrastructure health and alarms. Add BetterDB for the command-, key-, and client-level layer underneath.
The same incident, debugged three ways
We wrote up a real MemoryDB incident - memory at 99.9%, fragmentation at 6.11, the slowlog already overwritten - and walked it through CloudWatch, the BetterDB UI, and BetterDB over MCP. CloudWatch finds the symptoms in minutes; identifying the responsible command pattern and client takes persisted history.
Read the full walkthrough →FAQ
Can BetterDB monitor AWS ElastiCache and MemoryDB?
Yes. Both are documented providers. Since they live in a VPC, BetterDB reaches them via an EC2-hosted agent that connects outbound over WebSocket, or through an SSH tunnel via a bastion. IAM authentication is supported for ElastiCache. One caveat: per-node cluster views require direct network reachability to the nodes.
Do I need to stop using CloudWatch?
No - keep it. CloudWatch is the right tool for AWS infrastructure health, service events, and billing-integrated alarms. BetterDB adds the layer CloudWatch does not have: command-level, key-level, and client-level visibility with persistent history. They monitor different layers of the same system.
Does CloudWatch show the Redis or Valkey slowlog?
ElastiCache (Redis OSS and Valkey) can optionally deliver slow-log entries as JSON to CloudWatch Logs or Kinesis - searchable, but with no pattern aggregation or client attribution. MemoryDB has no slowlog delivery at all: the slowlog lives in the instance's in-memory buffer (default 128 entries) and is typically overwritten by the time you investigate.
When is CloudWatch alone enough?
When you only need coarse health signals - memory percentage, CPU, connection counts - and never have to answer "which command, key, or client caused this?". For teams that debug production incidents on ElastiCache or MemoryDB, that question eventually arrives, and CloudWatch cannot answer it.
Comparing more options? When should you use BetterDB? →
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