While optimizing systems for the Chinese market, I recently helped a company build a “Read-Only Replica in AWS China.” The goal was to improve the reliability and availability of local applications. In this article, I will describe the project’s key steps and challenges, along with the solutions we found.
Technical Implementation
Adapting Infrastructure for AWS China
AWS China differs from the global regions in several ways. Not all commonly used services are available, so adjustments were required.
Using Terraform for Infrastructure as Code
The entire infrastructure was provisioned with Terraform to ensure a consistent, reproducible environment. Modules and scripts had to be adapted to account for the specifics of the AWS China regions.
Building an EKS Cluster
Another part of the project was setting up an EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) cluster to deploy containerized applications efficiently. Challenges included accessing container images and configuring network resources, as global Docker registries have limited availability. Local registries & mirrors had to be used instead.
Replication Through a Streaming Solution
To synchronize data in real time, we implemented a streaming solution that could be adapted to the infrastructure and regulations in AWS China.
Challenges and Solutions
Limited Availability of AWS Services
Some services available internationally are missing from the AWS China regions or have limited functionality. Alternatives therefore had to be evaluated and integrated into the infrastructure.
Network and Access Restrictions
Access to resources such as Docker containers and external APIs is restricted in China. To work around this, we set up local mirrors and proxies.
Conclusion
The successful implementation of this project showed that carefully adapting IT infrastructure to the specific requirements of the Chinese market is essential. Through the targeted use of Terraform, streaming-based replication, and an adapted architecture, we were able to improve application availability. If you are facing similar challenges in your organization or need support adapting your infrastructure, I would be happy to help.