In today's digital age, businesses—big and small—must constantly optimize their infrastructure to improve performance and reduce costs. While many discussions focus on large-scale infrastructure solutions like load balancers and microservices, small businesses can greatly enhance performance without such complexities.

Below are key strategies designed to boost the performance of your small-scale infrastructure while keeping things cost-effective and manageable.

1. Database Optimization

Databases are the backbone of many business applications, but managing them can be challenging for small businesses without dedicated DBAs. Here are actionable tips to optimize your database:

SQL Databases

SQL databases are excellent for managing structured data, but even the best-designed databases can benefit from further refinement.

1.1. Database Models

The architecture of your database has a significant impact on application performance. Striking the right balance between normalization and de-normalization is key.

Example:

In 2015, Instagram experienced performance issues when calculating likes on a popular post. The system was using a COUNT query on a separate "likes" table.

Solution: By adding a "likes" column to the "posts" table, they significantly reduced the load on their database. Similarly, carefully analyzing your database models can prevent bottlenecks.

1.2. Normalization

Proper normalization ensures that related data is grouped logically. For example, storing user addresses in a separate table from user profiles can optimize the system for queries that only require partial user data.

1.3. Indexing

Indexes can drastically improve the speed of database queries. However, they must be applied judiciously to avoid excessive memory consumption. Consider indexing columns involved in frequent or slow queries.

1.4. Foreign Keys

Foreign keys help maintain consistency across your database by enforcing relationships between tables. They are especially useful in preventing data anomalies in small business environments.

NoSQL Databases

NoSQL databases offer flexibility for unstructured data but still require thoughtful key structuring.

1.5. Key Modeling

Optimizing key structure ensures efficient data retrieval. Be careful to model keys in ways that reflect common access patterns in your application.

1.6. Avoiding Unstable Data

NoSQL allows flexibility in data storage, but without a schema, this can result in inconsistencies. Ensure your data follows predictable patterns to avoid bugs.

2. Request Management

Handling HTTP requests efficiently is critical to both user experience and system performance.

2.1. Pagination

Every list endpoint must be paginated to avoid performance bottlenecks as your business scales. Without pagination, long-running queries can slow down your database, causing delays across your entire system.

2.2. Filters

Applying filters at the server level improves performance by reducing the volume of data sent over the network. When combined with pagination, this can drastically reduce request latency and load.

3. Caching

Caching can help minimize database load and reduce response times. Here’s how to implement it effectively:

3.1. Cache Events

Leverage cache-triggered events (e.g., via Redis). When data changes, set up triggers that automatically invalidate outdated cache entries. For example, if a user is deleted, you can simultaneously clear all cached data related to that user.

3.2. Cache Structure

A well-architected cache strategy can significantly boost performance. Consider employing two levels of caching:

• In-memory cache: For idempotent operations (e.g., repeated actions within short periods, like 2–5 seconds).
• Distributed cache: Using a third-party service like Redis can handle longer-term caching. Design a global cache manager that handles set, get, and delete actions to streamline cache operations and keep your code clean.

4. Conclusion

Small businesses can optimize infrastructure without investing in costly and complex solutions like horizontal scaling or microservices. By focusing on database optimization, efficient request handling, and strategic caching, you can significantly enhance the performance of your systems.

Adopt these strategies today and prepare your infrastructure for future growth without the headache of major overhauls.