# Backend Clusters vs. AWS Services

**URL:** <https://discourse.chef.io/t/backend-clusters-vs-aws-services/9401>\
**Category:** Chef Infra (archive)\
**Created:** [September 13, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/backend-clusters-vs-aws-services/9401 "2016-09-13T22:35:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![skohrs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.chef.io/skohrs/32/1604_2.png) [@skohrs](https://discourse.chef.io/u/skohrs)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/backend-clusters-vs-aws-services/9401/1 "2016-09-13T22:35:37Z")

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Greetings,

I’m trying to scope out the components to build a Chef Server HA solution. I’d like to compare an on-premise build against an AWS environment. Does chef-backend eliminate the possibility of using AWS Services (RDS & ElastiCache)?

Best regards,  
Steve K.

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**Author:** ![kallistec](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.chef.io/kallistec/32/23_2.png) [@kallistec](https://discourse.chef.io/u/kallistec)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/backend-clusters-vs-aws-services/9401/2 "2016-09-13T22:59:22Z")

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> [@skohrs](#):
>
> Does chef-backend eliminate the possibility of using AWS Services (RDS & ElastiCache)?

There isn't really a reason to use them both. Chef backend is responsible for making sure you have data storage services that are up and replicating correctly. If you use AWS services, then you're paying Amazon to handle that problem for you and the Chef Server becomes a stateless front-end.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![skohrs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.chef.io/skohrs/32/1604_2.png) [@skohrs](https://discourse.chef.io/u/skohrs)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/backend-clusters-vs-aws-services/9401/3 "2016-09-14T13:33:32Z")

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At this client, the AWS environment is not an “approved” platform yet. However, we’re slowly trying to change that. By eliminating as many external servers to patch and maintain, I believe this will be easier to get buy off on. That’s the main reason I wanted to investigate AWS services for the backend components. The next step is to build a Private Supermarket and I noticed that the [HA design](http://www.slideshare.net/NellShamrell/a-supermarket-of-your-own-running-a-private-chef-supermarket) (starting on slide 83) for that product does recommend RDS and ElastiCache.