Taming Database Latency: When External Caching Backfires (And How to Fix It)

Milliseconds matter. Long-tail latency (p99) can dictate your user’s experience and bottom line. When database queries slow down, a common practice is to throw an external cache like Redis in front. But what happens when that external cache introduces more complexity, cache-invalidation nightmares, and hidden costs?
In this talk, Guy Shtub explores database latency mechanics, common caching patterns, and why adding an external cache tier doesn't always solve your performance bottlenecks.

What you'll learn:

• The Real Business Cost of Latency: How tail-latency (p99) impacts revenue and why the slowest 1% dominates user experience.
• Caching Strategies in the Wild: Breaking down Cache-Aside, Write-Through, Write-Back, and Embedded Read-Through patterns.
• The Dark Side of External Caching: How external cache tiers add application complexity, degrade availability, and ignore rich database context.
• Bypassing the Cache Tier: How modern, close-to-metal database designs (shard-per-core, unified cache, I/O scheduling) enable databases to replace external cache tiers altogether.
• Real-World Case Studies: How teams at Comcast, Disney+/Hotstar, Grab, and Tubi eliminated external cache layers to boost performance and cut infrastructure TCO.

Speaker: Guy Shtub, Head of Training at ScyllaDB
Guy Shtub is Head of Training at ScyllaDB and holds a B.SC. degree in Software Engineering from Ben Gurion University. He co-founded two start-ups and is experienced in creating products that people love.