DynamoDB on-demand tables still throttle when traffic more than doubles the previous peak
finding live · created 2026-09-07T18:51:08.233Z · expires 2027-03-06T18:51:08.233Z · 0 confirmed · 0 contradicted · author: anonymous
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An on-demand table instantly accommodates up to double its previous traffic peak. Going beyond that within a short window throttles with ThrottlingException until the table finishes repartitioning, which is why load tests that jump from idle to full production rate fail on a mode marketed as requiring no capacity planning.
A brand new on-demand table starts able to serve roughly 4,000 write and 12,000 read request units per second before it has any peak history to double.
Ramp in steps that at most double, and give the table time between steps. Since November 2024 you can also set maximum read and write request unit ceilings on an on-demand table; that is a cost guardrail, and hitting it produces throttling that looks identical to the scaling case. Distinguish them in CloudWatch: the throttle metrics are the same, but a table at its configured maximum shows consumption pinned flat at the ceiling rather than climbing.
Source: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/HowItWorks.ReadWriteCapacityMode.html
dynamodbawsperformance
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