Open Source & Fully Managed: Aiven-Powered Databases on Akamai

There is virtually no application without a database in one form or another. User data and behavior, product information, and operational details all need to be stored and made available for retrieval and manipulation. There are different databases for different needs, but we can say the most broadly used ones are relational databases. MySQL and PostgreSQL are fairly easy to learn and to integrate into even the most complex applications. 

But running a database isn’t just about spinning up an instance. It’s about managing upgrades, patching security vulnerabilities, scaling across regions, maintaining high availability, and troubleshooting at depth. Even for teams that operate massive distributed infrastructure like Akamai’s, these demands can drain focus from more strategic initiatives. Building a database platform internally would take years and divert talent from innovating at the edge. 

These aren't trivial tasks. We wanted to make sure all of these tasks could be easily managed, so we partnered with Aiven to enable you to build AI-ready systems with tools you already know on infrastructure you don’t have to manage.

Akamai had long searched for a partner to offer the technology that brings the most out of our infrastructure. Users of Akamai’s globally distributed edge technology, CDN, security, and other cloud solutions needed a managed database solution that matches the high quality of these services. Akamai’s strong commitment to a developer friendly experience, outstanding customer support and predictable, transparent pricing all had to be matched by the technology partner powering the database services.

For over eight years, Aiven has been singularly focused on one thing: providing the world's best fully managed, open source data services. Their operational expertise and excellence mean they handle the 24/7 monitoring, patching, scaling, and security of your critical data infrastructure. 

Aiven stands out for its singular focus on fully managed, open source data infrastructure. With deep expertise in operating PostgreSQL, MySQL, and other databases at a global scale, Aiven delivers operational reliability that Akamai customers can trust, even under the most demanding workloads. What makes Aiven different is how it combines enterprise-grade performance, security, and availability with the flexibility of open source. That means no vendor lock-in, no compromises on control, and no time lost to infrastructure overhead - just production-ready databases that let development teams focus on building, not managing.

Development teams need tools that let them move fast without sacrificing control. So when we chose Aiven to power our managed databases, we worked with them to ensure we excelled on several key pillars:

• The Power of Proven Open Source: Aiven provides access to battle-tested, community-driven open source databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL. This means no vendor lock-in, continuous innovation from the open-source community, and the flexibility that developers crave. It’s the best of both worlds: open source freedom with enterprise-grade management.
• Scalability and Reliability Without Sweat: Aiven's platform is engineered for enterprise workloads, handling large data sizes and ensuring high availability. When our customers deploy databases powered by Aiven, they inherit this robust foundation. This translates to rock-solid performance, automatic backups, and seamless scaling, allowing applications to grow without hitting data infrastructure bottlenecks.
• Faster Time to Market for Akamai: Building a comprehensive DBaaS offering from scratch is a multi-year endeavor. By partnering with Aiven, we can instantly offer a mature, feature-rich managed database solution to their customers. This accelerated time to market allows Akamai to capture new revenue streams and respond to customer demand with unprecedented speed.
• Future-Proofing for AI/ML Workloads: The future is data-driven, and increasingly, AI/ML-powered. Aiven's services are the foundational building blocks for these modern applications. By offering Akamai Managed Databases, powered by Aiven, we aim to empower our customers to build sophisticated AI/ML solutions with resources like the PG extension pgvector and pgvectorscale.

Our partnership combines Aiven’s deep expertise in managing open-source databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL with Akamai’s global infrastructure and enterprise-grade reliability. Aiven handles the complexities of database provisioning, updates, scaling, high availability, and backups, while Akamai provides seamless access through its Cloud Manager and API, allowing users to deploy databases that are pre-configured for encryption, access control, automated backups, and high availability.

It’s our hope that together we can significantly reduce the operational burden of managing databases for our customers. Since our service includes enterprise-grade security and reliability, with multi-node clusters, automated failover, and built-in encryption, it’s already designed to meet corporate compliance standards. Hosting these managed databases on Akamai’s distributed edge platform also improves performance by reducing latency and minimizing data egress costs, thanks to localized deployment options in nearly 27 global regions.

If you’re interested in trying Akamai Managed Database Services Powered by Aiven for your database workloads, check out our Database Engines and plans.