In the ever-evolving landscape of big data and real-time analytics, the choice of infrastructure plays a pivotal role in the performance and cost-efficiency of database management systems. ClickHouse, a renowned open-source database optimized for online analytical processing (OLAP) workloads, stands at the forefront of this revolution, offering unmatched speed at a fraction of the cost of its competitors.
In a recent benchmarking exercise conducted by ChistaData, ClickHouse performance was put to the test on two different platforms: AWS EC2 metal and a bare metal server provided by Bare-Metal.io. The results of this comparison offer insightful revelations about the advantages of leveraging bare metal servers for ClickHouse hosting.
Benchmarking Methodology: ClickBench Comparison Report
ClickBench, a leading benchmark for analytical databases, was employed to measure the execution time of predefined queries using a standard dataset of approximately 75 GB, encompassing 99,997,497 records. The benchmark involves running 43 queries thrice (1 Cold + 2 Hot runs) to ensure accuracy and consistency in the results.
Infrastructure Spotlight
Bare-Metal.io’s servers are strategically located in regional data centers, boast robust security, compliance standards adherence, and a 99.99% availability rate. These factors contribute to a highly reliable and cost-effective hosting environment with low latency connections to major public cloud applications and services.
In contrast, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) offers scalable computing capacity within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud, with the c6a.metal instance representing the comparison point for this study.
Benchmark Results: A Comparative Analysis
Query Performance
The comparison reveals that Bare-Metal.io’s server outperforms the AWS c6a.metal in 58% of the queries, demonstrating a considerable edge in average query execution durations for a majority of the benchmarked queries.
Cold Run Performance
Cold runs, indicative of the server’s raw power without the aid of disk or query caches, showed a pronounced difference in performance in favor of Bare-Metal.io. While the mean query execution duration highlighted significant advantages for Bare-Metal.io, the median values, less susceptible to outliers, still favored Bare-Metal.io, albeit by a narrower margin.
Hot Run Performance
During hot runs, where queries benefit from caching, AWS’s c6a.metal showed slightly lower mean and median query execution durations compared to Bare-Metal.io. However, the difference in performance was not substantial, indicating competitive performance from both servers under optimized conditions.
Cost-Effective Analytics: A Pricing Comparison between Bare-Metal.io and AWS
When it comes to hosting powerful analytical databases like ClickHouse, the cost of infrastructure is a significant factor. We examined the ClickBench benchmark on two distinct platforms: a high-end bare-metal server from Bare-Metal.io and an AWS EC2 instance. Below is an insightful look into the hardware specifications and the annual costs associated with each server.
| Specification | Bare-Metal | AWS EC2 (c6a.metal) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores | 80 | 192 (vcpu, not cores) |
| RAM (GB) | 1024 | 384 |
| Storage (TB) | 40 | 40 |
| Annual Cost (USD) | $36,000 | $82,712 (1yr reserved) |
Pricing Comparison Specifications:
- CPU Cores: Bare-Metal.io offers 80 cores, while AWS EC2 provides 192 vcpus which roughly equates to 96 cores.
- RAM (GB): With Bare-Metal.io, you get a massive 1024 GB of RAM compared to AWS EC2’s 384 GB.
- Storage (TB): Both platforms offer a generous 40 TB of storage.
- Annual Cost (USD): Bare-Metal.io comes in at an economical $36,000, whereas AWS EC2’s c6a.metal instance stands at $82,712.60 with a one-year reservation.
This comparison highlights the substantial cost savings with Bare-Metal.io, offering a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Despite having less CPU cores, Bare-Metal.io’s server not only competes fiercely on performance but also leads in affordability. The significantly larger RAM allocation on Bare-Metal.io further enhances its performance for memory-intensive tasks common in OLAP workloads.
With Bare-Metal.io, organizations can achieve high-performance analytics with direct control over their infrastructure and manage large volumes of data efficiently—all at a cost that’s significantly lower than AWS EC2. It’s an attractive proposition, especially for businesses scaling their operations and looking to optimize their investment in analytical capabilities.
This pricing comparison underscores the value proposition that Bare-Metal.io offers, standing as a testament to our commitment to delivering cost-effective, high-performance hosting solutions for data-driven enterprises.
Conclusion: The Bare-Metal Advantage
The comprehensive analysis presented in the ClickBench Comparison Report underscores several key advantages of hosting ClickHouse on Bare-Metal.io servers:
- Cost-Effectiveness: Bare-Metal.io offers superior performance at less than half the cost (~44%) of the AWS c6a.metal server.
- Efficient Computing Power: Despite possessing less than half the computing power of its AWS counterpart, Bare-Metal.io’s server delivers better performance, hinting at greater potential with equal hardware.
- RAM Capacity: The Bare-Metal.io server boasts over 2.5 times the RAM of the AWS c6a.metal, contributing to its enhanced performance.
- Performance Across Runs: Bare-Metal.io excels in cold runs, while AWS holds a slight edge in hot runs. Overall, the performance differential in hot runs is minimal.
- Overall Superiority: The bare metal server from Bare-Metal.io emerges as the more cost-efficient and performant option.
With the integration of ChistaDATA’s ClickHouse services, and their performance optimization strategies, Bare-Metal.io is poised to offer even greater price-to-performance ratios for clients. This study not only highlights the intrinsic value of Bare-Metal.io’s infrastructure but also reinforces the strategic importance of choosing the right hosting platform for achieving high-performance analytics at significantly lower costs.