Amazon Elasticache
AWSOfficialPublished by AWS
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Cloud and DevOps
- Apache-2.0
- Medium risk
- Has scripts
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
The Amazon ElastiCache skill provides a structured, modular approach to managing in-memory data stores on AWS. It guides developers through the entire lifecycle of ElastiCache and Valkey, from initial requirements gathering and provisioning to complex data modeling, AI-driven vector search, and operational monitoring. The skill enforces best practices for connection safety, security, and infrastructure-as-code, ensuring reliable performance for caching, session management, and GenAI workloads.
What it does
- Assesses workload requirements to recommend optimal ElastiCache configurations.
- Automates provisioning and connectivity setup for serverless and node-based clusters.
- Provides implementation patterns for common use cases like cache-aside, session stores, and rate limiting.
- Supports advanced AI workloads including semantic caching, RAG, and vector similarity search.
- Delivers operational diagnostics for performance tuning, cost optimization, and troubleshooting.
- Manages migration paths from self-managed Redis or between different deployment models.
When to use it
- When you need to reduce database load or improve API response times with an in-memory cache.
- When implementing AI agent memory, RAG retrieval, or semantic caching for LLM applications.
- When migrating existing Redis workloads to a managed AWS environment.
- When troubleshooting performance issues like high latency, replication lag, or memory pressure.
- When setting up secure, production-ready caching infrastructure using IaC.
Advantages
- Standardizes deployment and operational patterns across development teams.
- Ensures compliance with security best practices like TLS and IAM authentication.
- Reduces configuration errors through automated input validation and tagging.
- Provides clear guidance on engine selection and version-specific feature availability.
- Simplifies complex tasks like cross-region migration and vector search setup.
Usage examples
- “I need to speed up my RDS database. Should I use ElastiCache?”
- The agent will initiate the requirements sub-skill to analyze your workload, stack, and latency needs, then provide a recommendation on whether ElastiCache is the right fit.
- “How do I set up a Valkey cluster for vector search?”
- The agent will route to the genai sub-skill, verify you are using a node-based Valkey 8.2+ cluster, and provide the necessary configuration and code to enable vector similarity search.
- “My cache hit rate is low and latency is spiking. Can you help me troubleshoot?”
- The agent will activate the monitoring sub-skill to analyze your metrics, identify potential hot keys or memory imbalance, and suggest specific remediation steps.
- “Help me migrate my self-managed Redis to ElastiCache.”
- The agent will guide you through the migration sub-skill, performing preflight checks and validating your source configuration for a zero-downtime cutover.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/aws/amazon-elasticache/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip amazon-elasticache.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by AWS
ElastiCache
A modular ElastiCache toolkit organized as a registry of sub-skills. Each sub-skill handles one domain of ElastiCache work. The router below matches user intent to the right sub-skill, then loads only the references needed for that sub-skill.
How this skill works
Match the user's request against the semantic categories in the registry below. Match on meaning, not exact wording ("help me figure out which data structures to use" matches
data-modelingeven without the word "pattern").Disambiguation: If the user's intent matches multiple sub-skills, apply these rules in order:
If
.elasticache/requirements.jsonexists withinfrastructure.endpointset, prefermonitoringordata-modeling(the user has an existing cache).If no cache exists (no requirements.json or no endpoint), prefer
requirements.If still ambiguous, ask one clarifying question: "Are you looking to set up something new, or troubleshoot something existing?"
Check the Guardrails section before recommending an engine or deployment model.
Read
references/{sub-skill-id}/instructions.mdfor the matched sub-skill. If the file is not found at a relative path, check your prompt or environment for the skill directory absolute path and retry with{skill-directory}/references/{sub-skill-id}/instructions.md.If the request spans multiple sub-skills, execute them in pipeline order.
If a sub-skill requires upstream context (engine, deployment model, endpoint) not yet in session memory, route to the upstream sub-skill first.
If no sub-skill matches, activate
requirementsfirst.If a script or CLI call fails, show the error to the user and suggest a specific fix before retrying.
Sub-skill registry
Each entry has: an ID (directory name under references/), a domain description, semantic categories for matching, and upstream/downstream dependencies.
| ID | Name | Domain | Semantic Categories | Upstream | Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
requirements | Solution Fit | Gathers workload, stack, scale, latency, persistence, and budget through workspace scan + structured interview. Decides whether ElastiCache is the right service and hands off with a routing recommendation. | I need a cache, speed up my app, reduce database load, lower Bedrock cost, should I use ElastiCache, what's best for my workload, evaluating cache options, ElastiCache vs X, Valkey vs X, vague new workload | — | setup, data-modeling, genai, monitoring, migration |
setup | Create and Connect | Provisioning, connectivity, security, authentication, IaC, deployment choice. Gets the user to a working cache with least friction. Covers engine selection, serverless vs node-based, VPC, TLS, RBAC/IAM, jump-host/SSM tunnels, CLI/SDK/CFN/CDK/Terraform starters. | create a cache, set up ElastiCache, provision, Valkey cluster, connect Lambda/ECS/EKS/EC2, VPC, security groups, TLS, RBAC, IAM auth, jump host, SSM tunnel, CloudFormation, CDK, Terraform, engine selection, serverless vs node-based, backup, snapshot, restore, export | requirements (optional) | data-modeling, genai, monitoring |
data-modeling | Application Patterns | Picks data structures, key schema, TTL strategy, invalidation approach, and client code for non-AI patterns: cache-aside, session store, rate limiting, leaderboards, counters, pub/sub, streams, shopping carts, job queues, activity feeds. | session store, rate limiting, leaderboard, cache-aside, query caching, counters, streams, pub/sub, shopping cart, job queue, activity feed, key schema, TTL, invalidation, data structures | setup (cache must exist) | monitoring |
genai | AI and Vector Workloads | Classifies request into Mode 1 (plain cache), Mode 2 (semantic response cache), or Mode 3 (full vector search). Selects Valkey and forces node-based Valkey 8.2 or above (recommend 9.0) when server-side vector similarity is needed. Covers semantic caching, agent memory, RAG retrieval, recommendation, personalization, conversation/session persistence for AI agents, and framework wiring (Strands, mem0, LangChain). | semantic cache, RAG, agent memory, conversational memory, vector search, embeddings, recommendation, personalization, Bedrock latency, Bedrock cost, LLM caching, Strands, mem0, LangChain, conversation history, AI session store, embedding provider, framework integration | setup (cache must exist) | monitoring |
monitoring | Operate and Observe | Diagnoses performance, cost, and reliability using metrics first, then recommends the smallest change. Covers dashboards, alarms, log delivery, cost reporting, event routing, troubleshooting high CPU / memory / replication lag / connection spikes / low hit rate / hot keys / big keys / slot imbalance / latency spike root cause. | cache is slow, cost too high, hit rate low, high CPU, memory pressure, replication lag, connection spikes, dashboards, alarms, CloudWatch, cost comparison, troubleshoot, hot key, uneven shard load, one node pinned, big key, memory bloat, which key is biggest, keyspace distribution, prefix analysis, cost attribution by tenant, memory imbalance, one shard full, slot memory skew, latency spike, slow command incident, root cause for latency bump | — | setup, migration |
migration | Engine and Platform Migration | Selects the migration path and sequences preflight, validation, cutover, and rollback. Covers self-managed Redis → ElastiCache, Redis OSS → Valkey, node-based ↔ serverless, version upgrades. Hard validate-before-migrate gate. | migrate, Redis OSS to Valkey, self-managed to ElastiCache, node-based to serverless, serverless to node-based, engine upgrade, version upgrade, zero-downtime cutover, rollback | — | setup, monitoring |
Pipeline order
Sub-skills run independently, but common multi-step journeys follow these pipelines:
requirements→setup→ (data-modeling|genai) →monitoringmigration→setup→monitoringmonitoring→setup|migration(if metrics indicate)
State handoff: requirements.json
.elasticache/requirements.json is the single source of truth for cross-sub-skill state. Each sub-skill reads it at start and writes its section after completing work. Read before writing; merge, do not overwrite.
| Section | Owner | Key fields |
|---|---|---|
| top-level | requirements | engine, deployment_model, region, runtime, patterns, use_case, vpc_id, subnet_ids, security_group_ids |
infrastructure | setup | cache_name, resource_id, engine_version, topology, endpoint, port, auth_model, tls, client_library, execution_path, access_mode, tunnel_instance_id, embedding_provider, embedding_model, embedding_dim, embedding_module |
genai | genai | mode, mode_2_path, framework |
migration | migration | source_type, source_host, migration_path, cutover_status |
Ownership note:
deployment_modelis set byrequirementsduring initial interview.migrationmay update it after an engine or deployment model switch (e.g., node-based to serverless).
requirements.json should include "schema_version": 1 and "last_updated": "<ISO timestamp>" at the top level. Every sub-skill that writes to requirements.json must update last_updated. If last_updated is older than 7 days, warn the user that cached state may be stale.
requirements.json tracks one active cache. If the user works with multiple caches in the same project, confirm which cache is active before reading or writing state.
When a sub-skill needs upstream context (engine, endpoint, auth model), check requirements.json first. If the field is null or the file does not exist, route to the upstream sub-skill.
Global rules (apply to every sub-skill)
Execution path. Use AWS CLI, SDK (boto3), CloudFormation, or CDK as the primary path for control-plane work. Use valkey-py as the primary path for data-plane work.
Response depth. Summary (2-3 sentences) for "should I" or "which" questions. Standard (recommendation + config + code + next steps) by default. Expert (full decision matrix with alternatives, cost, security caveats) for "why" or "compare all" questions. Escalate on user request; never downgrade unprompted.
Session memory. Track region, VPC, engine, deployment model, auth model, compute runtime, and language. Carry forward across sub-skills. Do not re-ask. If the user overrides a value, update it everywhere. Inferred values (from workspace scan or IaC) must be re-confirmed before high-risk decisions (engine, deployment model, security posture); low-risk inferences (language, framework, region) can be used as defaults silently.
Source priority. Always answer from skill-local files first (sub-skill references, then
scripts/). Do not fetch external documentation or web search unless the local files cannot answer the query. When local files are insufficient, fall back to official AWS docs: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/latest/dg/ for features and https://aws.amazon.com/elasticache/pricing/ for pricing. Never invent price points or version constraints. If the user references a Valkey or Redis version, feature, or pricing tier not covered in local files, fall back to https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/latest/dg/ before answering. Do not extrapolate from local content that may be outdated.Freshness disclaimer. When outputting pricing, version constraints, or feature availability, include a one-line disclaimer: "For current pricing see https://aws.amazon.com/elasticache/pricing/. For current feature availability see https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonElastiCache/latest/dg/."
Connection safety. Never create a Valkey/Redis client at module level (top of file, import time). Initialize connections inside a function or on first use. Module-level connections crash applications that import the module before the cache is reachable.
Code environment. Use
python3(notpython) in all commands and shebangs. Do not generatepip installorpytestcommands in application code. Prefer the agent's file-writing tool over shell redirection for writing files.Input validation (write operations only). Before running any create, modify, or delete CLI command or SDK call that uses user-provided values (cache name, region, subnet IDs, security group IDs, VPC ID, KMS key, snapshot name), validate them with
scripts/input_validator.py. Runpython3 scripts/input_validator.py cache_name=<val> region=<val> ...or importvalidate_allas a library. Skip validation for read-only operations (describe, list) where bad input is harmless.Resource tagging (always apply on resource creation). When creating any cache (
create-serverless-cache,create-replication-group,create-cache-cluster), ALWAYS include these tags:--tags Key=managed_by,Value=aws-skills Key=skill,Value=elasticache Key=skill_version,Value=1.0.0 Key=created_by,Value=elasticache-skill Key=generation_model,Value={your-model-id}Example:
--tags Key=managed_by,Value=aws-skills Key=skill,Value=elasticache Key=skill_version,Value=1.0.0 Key=created_by,Value=elasticache-skill Key=generation_model,Value=claude-sonnet-4-20250514Set
generation_modelto your own model identifier. Include these tags even if the user does not mention tagging. If the user provides additional tags, append these to their tags rather than replacing them.
Reference loading
Load additional references only when the current turn's answer requires them.
On-demand pointers (not preloaded; fetch when the trigger applies):
references/shared-ux/production-readiness.md— when the user asks if their cache is ready for production, or after setup completes and the user wants to go to productionreferences/shared-ux/action-safety.md— before any destructive action (risk levels, never-auto-execute list)references/shared-ux/error-remediation.md— when the user hits a specific ElastiCache error code (MOVED, CROSSSLOT, CLUSTERDOWN, MULTI/EXEC+IAM, etc.)references/shared-foundation/boundary-doc.md— when the user asks what this skill coversreferences/shared-foundation/attribution.md— when generating CLI commands, SDK code, or IaC templatesreferences/shared-foundation/architecture-diagrams.md— when the user asks for architecture diagrams or visual referencereferences/shared-runtime/lambda.md— when connecting from Lambda (cold start gotchas, IAM auth code, lazy init)references/shared-runtime/ecs.md— when connecting from ECS (SIGTERM shutdown, connection pool drain, task definition)references/shared-runtime/eks.md— when connecting from EKS (IRSA, service mesh bypass, SecurityGroupPolicy CRD)references/shared-runtime/api-gateway.md— when integrating with API Gateway (no direct path, caching layers comparison)references/shared-runtime/rds-acceleration.md— when caching RDS/Aurora queries (thundering herd, stampede protection, invalidation)references/shared-runtime/secret-injection.md— when the user asks about credential management per compute platformreferences/shared-security/encryption-defaults.md— when adding encryption to an existing unencrypted cluster (TLS two-step migration, at-rest immutability)references/shared-security/config-guardrails.md— when the user wants continuous compliance monitoring (AWS Config rules, custom Lambda rules)references/shared-security/vpc-patterns.md— when debugging port/security-group issues (port 6380 serverless reader, anti-patterns)
Folder convention:
references/contains 10 folders. 6 match the sub-skills (requirements,setup,data-modeling,genai,monitoring,migration) and are routing destinations. The 4shared-*folders (shared-foundation,shared-ux,shared-security,shared-runtime) are cross-cutting material loaded on demand, not routing destinations.
Guardrails
| Priority | Rule |
|---|---|
| CRITICAL | Vector search MUST use node-based Valkey 8.2 or above. Serverless does NOT support vector search. Never suggest serverless for vector search. Apply this regardless of which sub-skill activates. |
| CRITICAL | Do not invent price points or version constraints. Use scripts/price_calculator.py and current AWS docs when precision matters. |
| HIGH | Do not recommend Memcached when the user needs persistence, replication, RBAC or IAM auth, sorted sets, streams, pub/sub, or vector search. |
| HIGH | Do not assume local laptop access works directly. ElastiCache is VPC-centric; explain VPC, tunnel, or jump-host access when needed. |
| STANDARD | Do not trigger on every generic Redis mention. Trigger when the user is clearly asking about AWS, managed caching, migration, connectivity, pricing, operations, or AWS service integration. |
| STANDARD | For ambiguous "cache" requests inside AWS contexts, activate this skill and start with requirements. |
Product truths
ElastiCache Serverless deploys in under a minute and removes infrastructure management.
Valkey serverless pricing is 33% lower than other supported engines; node-based Valkey pricing is 20% lower.
Serverless caches have in-transit encryption always enabled (cannot be disabled).
IAM auth is available for all ElastiCache Valkey versions (7.2 is the baseline Valkey version on ElastiCache) and Redis OSS 7.0+.
Valkey version ladder: 7.2 (baseline), 8.0 (20% more data per node (capacity improvement), per-slot metrics), 8.1 (Bloom filters, COMMANDLOG, SET IFEQ, 20% less memory via new hash table (efficiency improvement)), 8.2 (vector search), 9.0 (recommended default for new clusters). Recommend Valkey 9.0 for new clusters unless a specific feature dictates otherwise.
Vector search is available for Valkey 8.2 or above on node-based clusters (recommend 9.0).
Global Datastore is available for node-based clusters only. It does not support IPv6 or Local Zones. Global Datastore supports AUTH and RBAC. Cross-region failover must be promoted manually (no autofailover across regions). At-rest encryption must be enabled on all clusters in the Global Datastore, but each cluster can use a separate KMS key per region.
Online migration from self-managed Redis to ElastiCache requires: (source) AUTH must not be enabled,
protected-modeset tono, replication and administrative commands must not be renamed (e.g.,sync,psync,info,config,command,cluster); (target) encryption in-transit disabled, Multi-AZ enabled, engine version Redis OSS 5.0.6+ or Valkey 7.2+, not part of a Global Datastore, data tiering disabled. Shard counts must match between source and target. All source Redis instances must use the same port. Online migration is not supported for serverless caches (node-based targets only). Seereferences/migration/topology-validation.mdfor the full checklist.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer924 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer9.9 KiB
- NOTICELicence file added by AutoGineer67 B
- SKILL.md17.8 KiB
- assets/examples/sample_commandstats.csv882 B
- assets/examples/sample_input_simple.csv449 B
- references/data-modeling/command-availability.md6.1 KiB
- references/data-modeling/common-patterns.md8.6 KiB
- references/data-modeling/instructions.md9.9 KiB
- references/data-modeling/memcached-recipe.md5.2 KiB
- references/data-modeling/recipe-gallery.md8.2 KiB
- references/genai/agent-memory.md5.9 KiB
- references/genai/elasticache-search.md16.9 KiB
- references/genai/embedding-providers.md8.6 KiB
- references/genai/framework-guide.md4.9 KiB
- references/genai/instructions.md9.7 KiB
- references/genai/rag-retrieval.md9.3 KiB
- references/genai/semantic-cache.md8.9 KiB
- references/genai/session-store.md6.4 KiB
- references/migration/auth-migration.md14.4 KiB
- references/migration/feature-comparison.md10.9 KiB
- references/migration/global-datastore-operations.md8.0 KiB
- references/migration/instructions.md14.8 KiB
- references/migration/rollback-procedures.md16.9 KiB
- references/migration/self-managed-migration.md14.6 KiB
- references/migration/sizing-assessment.md6.8 KiB
- references/migration/topology-validation.md8.1 KiB
- references/migration/upgrade-patching.md13.2 KiB
- references/migration/valkey-migration-guide.md13.5 KiB
- references/monitoring/alarm-packs.md8.4 KiB
- references/monitoring/big-key-hunter.md6.8 KiB
- references/monitoring/client-tuning-and-diagnostics.md11.8 KiB
- references/monitoring/cloudwatch-dashboards.md7.7 KiB
- references/monitoring/cost-reporting.md11.9 KiB
- references/monitoring/event-routing.md9.5 KiB
- references/monitoring/hot-key-detection.md10.8 KiB
- references/monitoring/instructions.md8.8 KiB
- references/monitoring/key-space-distribution-by-prefix.md6.8 KiB
- references/monitoring/log-delivery.md7.9 KiB
- references/monitoring/slot-memory-imbalance-detection.md6.7 KiB
- references/monitoring/slow-log-cross-signal-diagnosis.md8.5 KiB
- references/monitoring/troubleshooting.md17.9 KiB
- references/requirements/instructions.md9.9 KiB
- references/setup/auth-model-selector.md3.3 KiB
- references/setup/cluster-topology.md3.6 KiB
- references/setup/connection-guide.md6.4 KiB
- references/setup/connectivity-diagnostics.md6.9 KiB
- references/setup/create-secure-cache.md8.4 KiB
- references/setup/engine-selection.md2.1 KiB
- references/setup/iac-best-practices.md7.3 KiB
- references/setup/iac-reference.md6.2 KiB
- references/setup/iam-policies.md2.7 KiB
- references/setup/instructions.md8.6 KiB
- references/setup/serverless-vs-node.md12.7 KiB
- references/setup/service-quotas.md2.9 KiB
- references/shared-foundation/architecture-diagrams.md8.0 KiB
- references/shared-foundation/attribution.md3.7 KiB
- references/shared-foundation/boundary-doc.md4.9 KiB
- references/shared-runtime/api-gateway.md5.4 KiB
- references/shared-runtime/ecs.md7.5 KiB
- references/shared-runtime/eks.md10.5 KiB
- references/shared-runtime/lambda.md10.1 KiB
- references/shared-runtime/rds-acceleration.md12.6 KiB
- references/shared-runtime/secret-injection.md14.1 KiB
- references/shared-security/config-guardrails.md8.0 KiB
- references/shared-security/encryption-defaults.md4.2 KiB
- references/shared-security/vpc-patterns.md2.8 KiB
- references/shared-ux/action-safety.md9.8 KiB
- references/shared-ux/error-remediation.md12.1 KiB
- references/shared-ux/production-readiness.md5.5 KiB
- scripts/collect_metrics.shScript5.2 KiB
- scripts/command_classifier.pyScript6.2 KiB
- scripts/find_tunnel_host.pyScript7.2 KiB
- scripts/generate_dashboards.pyScript27.1 KiB
- scripts/input_validator.pyScript10.6 KiB
- scripts/migration_preflight.pyScript19.5 KiB
- scripts/price_calculator.pyScript14.4 KiB
- scripts/pricing.pyScript20.2 KiB
- scripts/security_audit.pyScript19.5 KiB
- scripts/serverless_estimator.pyScript28.4 KiB
- scripts/start_tunnel.pyScript11.7 KiB
- scripts/test_connection.pyScript13.3 KiB
- scripts/validate_references.pyScript10.6 KiB
scripts/serverless_estimator.py
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
ElastiCache Serverless Cost Estimator
Provides approximate cost estimates for what ElastiCache provisioned
clusters would cost on ElastiCache Serverless, or for sizing a new
serverless cache. These are estimates only. Actual serverless costs
depend on real-time workload characteristics and may differ from the
values produced by this tool. For accurate billing data, use CloudWatch
ElastiCacheProcessingUnits and BytesUsedForCache metrics on a running
serverless cache.
Two estimation modes:
Simple: Provide avg memory + daily command count per cluster.
Each command is estimated at MAX(1, avg_payload_kb) ECPUs.
This is a quick approximation for initial cost comparison.
Detailed: Also provide per-command stats (from INFO commandstats).
Classifies commands as simple (1 ECPU) or complex
(estimated as MAX(calls, usec/3) ECPUs based on the
assumption that 1 ECPU corresponds to approximately
3 microseconds of vCPU time, derived from the AWS pricing
blog example). Takes the higher of the CPU and network
components. More accurate than simple mode but still an
approximation.
IMPORTANT: The ECPU formulas used in this tool are heuristic approximations
based on publicly available AWS documentation and pricing examples. AWS does
not publish exact ECPU calculation formulas. The 3-microsecond-per-ECPU
assumption for complex commands is derived from the AWS pricing blog and may
not apply uniformly to all command types. See command_classifier.py for
details on command classification.
Pricing is fetched live from the AWS Bulk Pricing API and reflects current
published rates. See https://aws.amazon.com/elasticache/pricing/
Note: INFO commandstats returns cumulative counts that keep incrementing
from server start. If you include an "uptime_days" column in the
commandstats CSV, the estimator divides calls and usec by that value to
normalize to a daily rate. The --endpoint mode handles this automatically
by taking two snapshots and computing the delta.
Usage:
python3 serverless_estimator.py --input clusters.csv
python3 serverless_estimator.py --input clusters.csv --commandstats stats.csv
python3 serverless_estimator.py --endpoint my-cluster.abc123.use1.cache.amazonaws.com:6379
python3 serverless_estimator.py --endpoint my-cluster.abc123.use1.cache.amazonaws.com --instance-type cache.r7g.large
python3 serverless_estimator.py --input clusters.csv --pricing pricing.csv
python3 serverless_estimator.py --input clusters.csv --output estimate.csv --json
"""
import argparse
import csv
import json
import math
import os
import re
import sys
from typing import Dict, List, Optional
sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
from command_classifier import estimate_ecpus_from_commandstats
from pricing import PricingLoader
HOURS_PER_MONTH = 730
MIN_STORAGE_GB = {
"valkey": 0.1, # 100 MB
"redis": 1.0, # 1 GB
"memcached": 1.0, # 1 GB
}
# Number of sample points for sinusoidal workload modeling.
# 24 = one sample per hour over a daily cycle.
_SIN_SAMPLES = 24
def _sine_wave_samples(min_val, max_val, n=_SIN_SAMPLES):
"""Generate n hourly samples of a sine wave oscillating between min and max.
Models a daily traffic pattern:
value(t) = min + (max - min) * (1 + sin(2*pi*t/n)) / 2
Returns a list of n float values representing the workload at each hour.
"""
amplitude = (max_val - min_val) / 2.0
midpoint = (max_val + min_val) / 2.0
return [midpoint + amplitude * math.sin(2 * math.pi * i / n) for i in range(n)]
def compute_burst_multiplier(avg_val, min_val=None, max_val=None, peak_to_avg=None):
"""Compute a cost multiplier for bursty (sinusoidal) workloads.
Serverless bills per-hour. A workload that swings between min and peak
follows a sine curve over the day. This function samples the curve at
24 hourly points and returns the ratio of the sine-wave average to the
customer-provided average.
Why this matters: if the customer says "my average is X" but their actual
traffic swings from min to peak, the true average of the sine curve
((min+max)/2) may differ from X. The multiplier corrects for that.
The caller can specify the burst in two ways:
1. min_val + max_val: explicit floor and ceiling of the daily cycle
2. peak_to_avg: ratio of peak to average (e.g., 3.0 means peak is 3x avg)
Returns 1.0 (no adjustment) if no burst parameters are provided or if
the workload is flat.
"""
if peak_to_avg is not None and peak_to_avg > 1.0:
max_val = avg_val * peak_to_avg
min_val = max(0, avg_val * (2 - peak_to_avg))
if min_val is None or max_val is None:
return 1.0
if max_val <= min_val or max_val <= 0:
return 1.0
if avg_val <= 0:
return 1.0
samples = _sine_wave_samples(min_val, max_val)
sine_avg = sum(samples) / len(samples)
return sine_avg / avg_val
def load_clusters(path: str) -> List[Dict]:
"""Load cluster data from CSV.
Required columns:
cluster_name, instance_type, region, engine, node_count,
avg_memory_gb, daily_commands
Optional columns:
primary_nodes -- defaults to max(1, node_count // 2). This is a
rough heuristic; for CMD clusters (1 primary +
N replicas) or CME clusters (1 primary per shard),
provide the actual value via --primary-nodes or
the primary_nodes CSV column for accurate results.
current_monthly_cost -- if known; otherwise computed from list price
avg_payload_kb -- average payload size in KB (default 1.0).
ECPUs scale linearly with payload: 3.2 KB = 3.2 ECPUs per op.
peak_commands -- peak daily commands (for bursty workload modeling)
min_commands -- minimum daily commands (for bursty workload modeling)
peak_to_avg_ratio -- ratio of peak to average commands (alternative to min/max)
peak_memory_gb -- peak memory in GB (for bursty storage modeling)
min_memory_gb -- minimum memory in GB (for bursty storage modeling)
"""
clusters = []
with open(path, newline="") as f:
reader = csv.DictReader(f)
for row in reader:
node_count = int(row.get("node_count", 1))
primary_nodes = int(row.get("primary_nodes", 0))
if primary_nodes == 0:
# Heuristic: assumes half the nodes are primaries. This is only
# accurate for 1-replica setups; actual primary count depends on
# cluster topology (CMD: 1 primary + N replicas, CME: 1 primary
# per shard). Provide the primary_nodes column for accuracy.
primary_nodes = max(1, node_count // 2)
clusters.append({
"cluster_name": row["cluster_name"].strip(),
"instance_type": row.get("instance_type", "").strip(),
"region": row.get("region", "us-east-1").strip(),
"engine": row.get("engine", "valkey").strip().lower(),
"node_count": node_count,
"primary_nodes": primary_nodes,
"avg_memory_gb": float(row.get("avg_memory_gb", 0)),
"daily_commands": float(row.get("daily_commands", 0)),
"current_monthly_cost": float(row.get("current_monthly_cost", 0) or 0),
"avg_payload_kb": float(row.get("avg_payload_kb", 1.0) or 1.0),
"peak_commands": float(row.get("peak_commands", 0) or 0),
"min_commands": float(row.get("min_commands", 0) or 0),
"peak_to_avg_ratio": float(row.get("peak_to_avg_ratio", 0) or 0),
"peak_memory_gb": float(row.get("peak_memory_gb", 0) or 0),
"min_memory_gb": float(row.get("min_memory_gb", 0) or 0),
})
return clusters
def parse_commandstats_file(path: str) -> Dict[str, dict]:
"""Parse a commandstats CSV.
Expected columns: cluster_name, command, calls, usec
Optional columns:
uptime_days - days since server restart. When present, calls and
usec are divided by this value to normalize cumulative
INFO commandstats output to a daily rate. Without it
the raw cumulative values are used as-is.
Returns a dict keyed by cluster_name. Each value is a dict of
{command: {"calls": int, "usec": int}}. A special key
"_normalized" (bool) indicates whether uptime_days normalization
was applied for that cluster.
"""
result = {}
with open(path, newline="") as f:
for row in csv.DictReader(f):
cluster = row["cluster_name"].strip()
cmd = row["command"].strip().lower()
calls = int(row.get("calls", 0))
usec = int(row.get("usec", 0))
uptime_raw = row.get("uptime_days", "").strip()
uptime_days = float(uptime_raw) if uptime_raw else None
if uptime_days and uptime_days > 0:
calls = int(calls / uptime_days)
usec = int(usec / uptime_days)
normalized = True
else:
normalized = False
if cluster not in result:
result[cluster] = {"_normalized": normalized} # type: ignore[dict-item]
result[cluster][cmd] = {"calls": calls, "usec": usec} # type: ignore[assignment]
# If any row for this cluster has uptime_days, mark as normalized
if normalized:
result[cluster]["_normalized"] = True
return result
def parse_commandstats_info(text: str) -> dict:
"""Parse raw INFO commandstats output from valkey-cli (or redis-cli).
Example line: cmdstat_get:calls=1000,usec=1500,usec_per_call=1.50,rejected_calls=0,failed_calls=0
"""
result = {}
for line in text.strip().splitlines():
line = line.strip()
if not line or line.startswith("#"):
continue
match = re.match(r"cmdstat_(\w+):calls=(\d+),usec=(\d+)", line)
if match:
cmd = match.group(1).lower()
result[cmd] = {
"calls": int(match.group(2)),
"usec": int(match.group(3)),
}
return result
def estimate_cluster(
cluster: Dict,
pricing: PricingLoader,
commandstats: Optional[dict] = None,
) -> Dict:
"""Estimate serverless cost for one cluster."""
region = cluster["region"]
engine = cluster["engine"]
node_count = cluster["node_count"]
instance_type = cluster["instance_type"]
# --- Current provisioned cost ---
if cluster["current_monthly_cost"] > 0:
current_cost = cluster["current_monthly_cost"]
cost_source = "provided"
elif instance_type:
try:
hourly = pricing.get_node_hourly_rate(region, instance_type, engine)
current_cost = hourly * HOURS_PER_MONTH * node_count
cost_source = "list_price"
except ValueError:
current_cost = 0
cost_source = "unknown"
else:
current_cost = 0
cost_source = "unknown"
# --- Serverless storage ---
avg_memory_gb = cluster["avg_memory_gb"]
min_gb = MIN_STORAGE_GB.get(engine, 1.0)
billing_memory_gb = max(avg_memory_gb, min_gb)
used_minimum = avg_memory_gb < min_gb
# Bursty storage: if peak/min memory provided, adjust
storage_burst = compute_burst_multiplier(
avg_memory_gb,
min_val=cluster.get("min_memory_gb") or None,
max_val=cluster.get("peak_memory_gb") or None,
)
adjusted_memory_gb = billing_memory_gb * storage_burst
monthly_gb_hours = adjusted_memory_gb * HOURS_PER_MONTH
storage_rate = pricing.get_serverless_storage_rate(region, engine)
storage_cost = monthly_gb_hours * storage_rate
# --- Serverless ECPUs ---
ecpu_rate = pricing.get_serverless_ecpu_rate(region, engine)
# Bursty commands: if peak/min commands or peak_to_avg_ratio provided, adjust
ecpu_burst = compute_burst_multiplier(
cluster["daily_commands"],
min_val=cluster.get("min_commands") or None,
max_val=cluster.get("peak_commands") or None,
peak_to_avg=cluster.get("peak_to_avg_ratio") or None,
)
if commandstats and engine == "memcached":
print("WARNING: commandstats mode uses Redis/Valkey INFO format, which is "
"incompatible with Memcached. ECPU estimates for Memcached cluster '{}' "
"will be inaccurate. Falling back to simple estimation.".format(
cluster["cluster_name"]),
file=sys.stderr)
commandstats = None
if commandstats:
# _normalized is a metadata flag, not a command; exclude before estimation
cs_normalized = commandstats.get("_normalized", False)
cs_data = {k: v for k, v in commandstats.items() if k != "_normalized"}
ecpu_result = estimate_ecpus_from_commandstats(cs_data)
daily_cpu_ecpus = ecpu_result["total_ecpus"]
# Network component: each command costs MAX(1, avg_payload_kb) ECPUs.
# This approximates the "1 ECPU per KB transferred" pricing rule.
# See: https://aws.amazon.com/elasticache/pricing/
avg_payload_kb = cluster.get("avg_payload_kb", 1.0) or 1.0
ecpu_per_request = max(1.0, avg_payload_kb)
daily_net_ecpus = cluster["daily_commands"] * ecpu_per_request
# Serverless charges the higher of vCPU time or data transferred.
# See: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/unlock-on-demand-cost-optimized-performance-with-amazon-elasticache-serverless/
daily_ecpus = max(daily_cpu_ecpus, daily_net_ecpus)
monthly_ecpus = daily_ecpus * 30 * ecpu_burst
ecpu_mode = "detailed"
fixed_ecpus = ecpu_result["fixed_ecpus"] * 30
nonfixed_ecpus = ecpu_result["nonfixed_ecpus"] * 30
internal_calls = ecpu_result["internal_calls"] * 30
else:
avg_payload_kb = cluster.get("avg_payload_kb", 1.0) or 1.0
ecpu_per_request = max(1.0, avg_payload_kb)
monthly_ecpus = cluster["daily_commands"] * 30 * ecpu_per_request * ecpu_burst
ecpu_mode = "simple"
fixed_ecpus = None
nonfixed_ecpus = None
internal_calls = None
ecpu_cost = monthly_ecpus * ecpu_rate
total_serverless = storage_cost + ecpu_cost
# --- Comparison ---
diff = total_serverless - current_cost if current_cost > 0 else None
diff_pct = (diff / current_cost * 100) if diff is not None and current_cost > 0 else None
# --- Notes ---
notes = []
if used_minimum:
notes.append("Min storage applied ({} GB)".format(min_gb))
if cost_source == "list_price":
notes.append("Current cost: on-demand list price")
if cost_source == "unknown":
notes.append("Current cost unknown - provide current_monthly_cost or instance_type")
if ecpu_mode == "simple":
if avg_payload_kb > 1:
notes.append("ECPU: {} ECPUs per request ({} KB avg payload)".format(
round(ecpu_per_request, 1), round(avg_payload_kb, 1)))
else:
notes.append("ECPU: 1 cmd = 1 ECPU (provide avg_payload_kb for better accuracy)")
if commandstats and not cs_normalized:
notes.append("Commandstats not normalized by uptime; provide uptime_days column for accuracy")
if ecpu_burst > 1.0:
notes.append("Burst adjustment applied: {:.2f}x (peak/avg commands)".format(ecpu_burst))
if storage_burst > 1.0:
notes.append("Burst adjustment applied: {:.2f}x (peak/avg memory)".format(storage_burst))
# Serverless compatibility warnings
if engine in ("redis", "valkey"):
notes.append("Serverless requires cluster-mode-enabled clients and TLS; Global Data Store and Data Tiering are not supported")
return {
"cluster_name": cluster["cluster_name"],
"region": region,
"engine": engine,
"instance_type": instance_type,
"node_count": node_count,
"primary_nodes": cluster["primary_nodes"],
"current_monthly_cost": round(current_cost, 2),
"cost_source": cost_source,
"avg_memory_gb": round(avg_memory_gb, 4),
"billing_memory_gb": round(billing_memory_gb, 4),
"monthly_gb_hours": round(monthly_gb_hours, 2),
"storage_rate_per_gb_hour": storage_rate,
"storage_cost": round(storage_cost, 2),
"monthly_ecpus": round(monthly_ecpus),
"ecpu_rate_per_million": round(ecpu_rate * 1_000_000, 4),
"ecpu_cost": round(ecpu_cost, 2),
"ecpu_mode": ecpu_mode,
"fixed_ecpus": round(fixed_ecpus) if fixed_ecpus is not None else None,
"nonfixed_ecpus": round(nonfixed_ecpus) if nonfixed_ecpus is not None else None,
"internal_calls_excluded": round(internal_calls) if internal_calls is not None else None,
"serverless_total": round(total_serverless, 2),
"diff": round(diff, 2) if diff is not None else None,
"diff_pct": round(diff_pct, 1) if diff_pct is not None else None,
"notes": "; ".join(notes),
}
def write_csv(results: List[Dict], path: str):
"""Write results to CSV."""
if not results:
return
fields = [
"cluster_name", "region", "engine", "instance_type",
"node_count", "primary_nodes",
"current_monthly_cost", "cost_source",
"avg_memory_gb", "billing_memory_gb",
"monthly_gb_hours", "storage_cost",
"monthly_ecpus", "ecpu_cost", "ecpu_mode",
"serverless_total", "diff", "diff_pct", "notes",
]
with open(path, "w", newline="") as f:
writer = csv.DictWriter(f, fieldnames=fields, extrasaction="ignore")
writer.writeheader()
writer.writerows(results)
print("Output written to: {}".format(path))
def print_summary(results: List[Dict]):
"""Print summary to console."""
total_current = sum(r["current_monthly_cost"] for r in results)
total_sl = sum(r["serverless_total"] for r in results)
total_stor = sum(r["storage_cost"] for r in results)
total_ecpu = sum(r["ecpu_cost"] for r in results)
cheaper = sum(1 for r in results if r["diff"] is not None and r["diff"] < 0)
more_exp = sum(1 for r in results if r["diff"] is not None and r["diff"] > 0)
print()
print("=" * 65)
print(" ElastiCache Serverless Cost Estimate")
print("=" * 65)
print(" Clusters analyzed: {}".format(len(results)))
print(" Total nodes: {}".format(sum(r["node_count"] for r in results)))
print()
print(" Current provisioned cost: ${:>12,.2f} /month".format(total_current))
print(" Estimated serverless: ${:>12,.2f} /month".format(total_sl))
print(" Data storage: ${:>12,.2f}".format(total_stor))
print(" ECPUs: ${:>12,.2f}".format(total_ecpu))
print()
if total_current > 0:
savings = total_current - total_sl
pct = savings / total_current * 100
print(" Estimated savings: ${:>12,.2f} ({:.1f}%)".format(savings, pct))
print(" Clusters cheaper on SL: {}".format(cheaper))
print(" Clusters more expensive: {}".format(more_exp))
print("=" * 65)
print()
print(" {:<30s} {:>10s} {:>10s} {:>8s}".format(
"Cluster", "Current", "Serverless", "Change"))
print(" {} {} {} {}".format("-" * 30, "-" * 10, "-" * 10, "-" * 8))
for r in sorted(results, key=lambda x: x.get("diff") or 0):
name = r["cluster_name"][:30]
cur = "${:,.0f}".format(r["current_monthly_cost"])
sl = "${:,.0f}".format(r["serverless_total"])
chg = "{:+.0f}%".format(r["diff_pct"]) if r["diff_pct"] is not None else "N/A"
print(" {:<30s} {:>10s} {:>10s} {:>8s}".format(name, cur, sl, chg))
print()
print(" ECPU estimates assume 1 KB avg payload unless avg_payload_kb is provided.")
print(" ECPUs scale linearly with payload size (e.g. 3 KB = 3x ECPUs).")
print()
print(" IMPORTANT: These are approximate estimates. Actual serverless costs depend")
print(" on real-time workload characteristics and may differ. For accurate billing,")
print(" use CloudWatch metrics on a running serverless cache.")
print(" See https://aws.amazon.com/elasticache/pricing/")
print()
def collect_from_endpoint(endpoint, cluster_name=None, instance_type="",
region="us-east-1", engine="valkey", node_count=2,
avg_payload_kb=1.0, use_tls=True, sample_seconds=60):
"""Connect to a live Valkey/Redis endpoint and collect metrics.
Takes two INFO snapshots separated by sample_seconds and computes
deltas. This gives the actual traffic rate during the sample window,
which is more accurate than dividing cumulative totals by uptime.
Returns (cluster_dict, commandstats_dict) ready for estimate_cluster().
"""
try:
import valkey as client_lib
except ImportError:
print("Error: the 'valkey' package is required for --endpoint mode.")
print("Install with: pip install valkey")
sys.exit(1)
import time
# Parse host:port
if ":" in endpoint and not endpoint.startswith("["):
host, port_str = endpoint.rsplit(":", 1)
port = int(port_str)
else:
host = endpoint
port = 6379
if not cluster_name:
cluster_name = host.split(".")[0]
print("Connecting to {}:{}{}...".format(host, port, " (TLS)" if use_tls else ""))
r = client_lib.Redis(host=host, port=port, ssl=use_tls,
ssl_cert_reqs=None, decode_responses=True,
socket_connect_timeout=10)
print(" PING: {}".format(r.ping()))
# Collect memory and replication (point-in-time, no delta needed)
mem_info = r.info("memory")
repl_info = r.info("replication")
dataset_bytes = mem_info.get("used_memory_dataset", mem_info.get("used_memory", 0))
dataset_gb = dataset_bytes / (1024 ** 3)
role = repl_info.get("role", "unknown")
print(" Role: {}".format(role))
print(" Memory: {:.4f} GB ({:,.0f} bytes)".format(dataset_gb, dataset_bytes))
# Snapshot 1
print(" Taking snapshot 1...")
cs1 = r.info("commandstats")
stats1 = r.info("stats")
t1 = time.time()
# Wait
print(" Sampling for {} seconds...".format(sample_seconds))
time.sleep(sample_seconds)
# Snapshot 2
print(" Taking snapshot 2...")
cs2 = r.info("commandstats")
stats2 = r.info("stats")
t2 = time.time()
elapsed = t2 - t1
elapsed_days = elapsed / 86400
# Compute commandstats deltas
commandstats = {}
total_delta_calls = 0
for key in cs2:
cmd = key.replace("cmdstat_", "")
calls_delta = cs2[key].get("calls", 0) - cs1.get(key, {}).get("calls", 0)
usec_delta = cs2[key].get("usec", 0) - cs1.get(key, {}).get("usec", 0)
if calls_delta > 0:
# Scale to daily rate
daily_calls = int(calls_delta / elapsed_days)
daily_usec = int(usec_delta / elapsed_days)
commandstats[cmd] = {"calls": daily_calls, "usec": daily_usec}
total_delta_calls += calls_delta
commandstats["_normalized"] = True # type: ignore[assignment]
daily_commands = total_delta_calls / elapsed_days if elapsed_days > 0 else 0
# Also get total commands delta for simple mode
total_cmds_delta = stats2.get("total_commands_processed", 0) - stats1.get("total_commands_processed", 0)
daily_commands_total = total_cmds_delta / elapsed_days if elapsed_days > 0 else 0
print(" Sample window: {:.0f} seconds".format(elapsed))
print(" Commands in window: {:,}".format(total_cmds_delta))
print(" Daily rate: {:,.0f} commands/day".format(daily_commands_total))
top_cmds = sorted(commandstats.items(),
key=lambda x: x[1].get("calls", 0) if isinstance(x[1], dict) else 0,
reverse=True)[:5]
print(" Top commands: {}".format(
", ".join("{} ({:,}/day)".format(k, v["calls"])
for k, v in top_cmds if isinstance(v, dict))))
cluster = {
"cluster_name": cluster_name,
"instance_type": instance_type,
"region": region,
"engine": engine.lower(),
"node_count": node_count,
"primary_nodes": max(1, node_count // 2),
"avg_memory_gb": dataset_gb,
"daily_commands": daily_commands_total,
"current_monthly_cost": 0,
"avg_payload_kb": avg_payload_kb,
"peak_commands": 0,
"min_commands": 0,
"peak_to_avg_ratio": 0,
"peak_memory_gb": 0,
"min_memory_gb": 0,
}
return cluster, commandstats
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="Estimate ElastiCache Serverless costs from provisioned cluster metrics"
)
parser.add_argument("--input", "-i",
help="CSV with cluster data (see README for format)")
parser.add_argument("--endpoint", "-e",
help="Connect directly to a Valkey/Redis endpoint (host:port or host)")
parser.add_argument("--cluster-name", default=None,
help="Cluster name (used with --endpoint, default: derived from host)")
parser.add_argument("--instance-type", default="",
help="Instance type (used with --endpoint, e.g., cache.r7g.large)")
parser.add_argument("--region", default="us-east-1",
help="AWS region (used with --endpoint, default: us-east-1)")
parser.add_argument("--engine", default="valkey",
help="Engine (used with --endpoint, default: valkey)")
parser.add_argument("--node-count", type=int, default=2,
help="Node count (used with --endpoint, default: 2)")
parser.add_argument("--avg-payload-kb", type=float, default=1.0,
help="Average payload size in KB (default: 1.0)")
parser.add_argument("--no-tls", action="store_true",
help="Disable TLS when connecting via --endpoint")
parser.add_argument("--sample-seconds", type=int, default=60,
help="Seconds to sample when using --endpoint (default: 60). "
"Takes two snapshots this far apart and computes deltas.")
parser.add_argument("--commandstats", "-c",
help="CSV with per-command stats for detailed ECPU estimation")
parser.add_argument("--pricing", "-p",
help="Pricing CSV (optional - fetches live from AWS if omitted)")
parser.add_argument("--output", "-o", default="serverless_estimate.csv",
help="Output CSV path (default: serverless_estimate.csv)")
parser.add_argument("--json", action="store_true",
help="Also write JSON output")
args = parser.parse_args()
if not args.input and not args.endpoint:
parser.error("Either --input (CSV) or --endpoint (host:port) is required")
pricing = PricingLoader(args.pricing)
if args.endpoint:
# Direct endpoint mode: connect, collect, normalize, estimate
cluster, commandstats = collect_from_endpoint(
args.endpoint,
cluster_name=args.cluster_name,
instance_type=args.instance_type,
region=args.region,
engine=args.engine,
node_count=args.node_count,
avg_payload_kb=args.avg_payload_kb,
use_tls=not args.no_tls,
sample_seconds=args.sample_seconds,
)
results = [estimate_cluster(cluster, pricing, commandstats)]
else:
print("Loading clusters from: {}".format(args.input))
clusters = load_clusters(args.input)
print(" {} clusters loaded".format(len(clusters)))
all_commandstats = None
if args.commandstats:
print("Loading commandstats from: {}".format(args.commandstats))
all_commandstats = parse_commandstats_file(args.commandstats)
print(" Stats for {} clusters".format(len(all_commandstats)))
results = []
for cluster in clusters:
cs = all_commandstats.get(cluster["cluster_name"]) if all_commandstats else None
results.append(estimate_cluster(cluster, pricing, cs))
write_csv(results, args.output)
print_summary(results)
if args.json:
base, _ = os.path.splitext(args.output)
json_path = base + ".json"
with open(json_path, "w") as f:
json.dump(results, f, indent=2, default=str)
print("JSON written to: {}".format(json_path))
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs Python, Needs Node.js
Security
What our scanner noticed· Medium risk
- References to credential files
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Attribution and licence
- Published by
- AWS
- Publisher
- AWS (Official)
- Source
- aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws · skills/specialized-skills/database-skills/amazon-elasticache · commit 0a218f8
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- NOTICE (added by AutoGineer from NOTICE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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