Did you know about read/write replicas in databases?

read/write database replicas are one of the easiest scaling wins for a growing system.

Most apps are read-heavy. When every read and write hits the same primary database, the system slows down long before real traffic arrives.

Separating the two changes everything.

• Write operations go to the primary.
• Read traffic goes to replicas.
• The result is immediate: higher throughput, lower latency, and a database that doesn’t choke under load.

But it comes with one tradeoff that engineers must understand: replicas lag. Reads may be slightly stale. If your workflow can tolerate that, this pattern gives you massive headroom without redesigning your entire architecture.

If you’re building something that’s starting to feel the strain, implementing read/write separation is one of the simplest, most effective levers to pull early.