Cloud SQL vs AlloyDB Bake-Off: Defining the Right Google Cloud Database Strategy

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- Projected 50% Cost Reduction: Analysis revealed that moving to CloudSQL, with CUDs (Committed use discounts) and other discounts, would likely cut database costs by half.

- Simultaneous Performance Increase: The new solution was projected to deliver higher performance and lower cost.

- Zero-Guesswork Migration: Replaced assumptions with hard data, eliminating risk and providing a clear,confident path forward.

- Optimized Platform Strategy: Definitively identified CloudSQL for reliability/stability workloads and AlloyDBfor extreme performance/scaling needs.

- Streamlined Migration Path: Clarified customer’s future architecture, projected operational overhead, andstreamlined the entire migration process.
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Introduction

The customer application considered for this analysis relies on a robust, scalable backend to manage real-time logistics. To enhance performance and scalability, the customer sought to migrate from a third-party managed PostgreSQL solution to a Google-native database. In partnership with LucidPoint, they executed a comprehensive proof-of-concept (POC) “bake-off” to compare Google Cloud SQL and AlloyDB. This rigorous, data-driven evaluation provided clear, actionable insights, removing guesswork and setting a cost-effective, high-performance database strategy for a fast-growing SaaS provider’s future.
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Project Details

- Duration: June 2025 - August 2025
- Technologies Used: Python, shell script, gcloud
- Google Cloud Resources: Cloud SQL, AlloyDB, Cloud Storage, IAM

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‍The Challenge

LucidPoint and the customer combined faced a critical infrastructure decision. Aiming for a confident, data-backed modernization, the team needed to determine the best-fit Google-native database for their long-term data strategy. Migrating to the wrong platform without hard data could introduce significant risks:

• Performance Risk: Choosing a platform that couldn't handle their unique, high-stress workloads.‍
• Cost Risk: Committing to a solution without a clear understanding of its true cost-performance ratio and future growth cost implications.
• Migration Risk: Lacking the definitive data needed to plan a smooth, secure, and consistent migration.

The Solution: A Data-Driven "Bake-off"

LucidPoint designed an architectural blueprint for a head-to-head “bake-off” between Cloud SQL and AlloyDB. This empowered the customer team to see precisely how each platform would perform under their unique workloads.

The comprehensive process involved:

• Architectural Design: Designing a head-to-head "bake-off" blueprint in a non-production setting.
• Environment Provisioning: Using Terraform and shell scripts to deploy parallel Cloud SQL and AlloyDB environments.
• Rigorous Load Testing: Simulating both steady-state production workloads and high-stress scenarios using Python-based test harnesses.
• Comprehensive Analysis: Analyzing a wide array of metrics, from latency and throughput to scaling behavior and cost-performance.
• Delivering Clarity: Providing a final, comprehensive report and migration advisory that translated the technical data into a clear business-level recommendation.
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The Outcome

The collaboration resulted in a clear, data and metrics driven strategy, eliminating guesswork and minimizing risk for customer’s future migration. The bake-off produced definitive findings:

• CloudSQL was recommended for production environments requiring maximum reliability and stability.
• AlloyDB was identified as the ideal choice for workloads demanding extreme performance and instant scaling.

Critically, the analysis projected that after CUDs (Committed Use Discounts) and other discounts, CloudSQL will likely decrease their costs by 50% while simultaneously increasing performance.

Armed with this crucial insight, the path to a more robust architecture was clarified, the customer’s future operational overheads were projected, and the process for database migration was streamlined.

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Customer’s Perspective

LucidPoint provided the data and clarity needed to make a critical infrastructure decision that supports this potential migration. Their methodical approach to the comparative evaluation of database solutions gave the client complete confidence in their chosen direction, delivering a level of insight that was crucial for moving forward.
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Next Steps

Building on this success, LucidPoint conducted a comprehensive assessment for the strategic migration of all existing PostgreSQL workloads from the third-party provider to GCP. This produced a definitive migration roadmap, a reliable financial model, and a high degree of confidence in the technical viability of the full-scale migration.

‍About LucidPoint

At LucidPoint, we empower your business to work faster, build smarter, and grow with confidence. As a next generation cloud consultancy and Managed Service Provider (MSP), we deliver flexible solutions, optimized performance, and dedicated support throughout your cloud journey. Our modern IT and cloud services fuel your success every step of the way.

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