Definition
When one logical write causes several physical writes under the hood.
How it works
An LSM-tree rewrites data repeatedly during compaction; SSDs rewrite whole blocks; replication and WALs multiply it further. High write amplification burns disk bandwidth and wears out SSDs. It's the main cost LSM trees pay for fast sequential writes, and a key tuning trade-off against read and space amplification.
Common questions
What is Write Amplification?
When one logical write causes several physical writes under the hood.
How does Write Amplification work?
An LSM-tree rewrites data repeatedly during compaction; SSDs rewrite whole blocks; replication and WALs multiply it further. High write amplification burns disk bandwidth and wears out SSDs. It's the main cost LSM trees pay for fast sequential writes, and a key tuning trade-off…
What is Write Amplification used for in system design?
An LSM-tree rewrites data repeatedly during compaction; SSDs rewrite whole blocks; replication and WALs multiply it further. High write amplification burns disk bandwidth and wears out SSDs. It's the main cost LSM trees pay for fast sequential writes, and a key tuning trade-off…