Learn how we use NoSQL and SQL databases to build games at Wooga. From prototypes to production systems that deal with the data of millions of players, this talk covers hands on use cases and learnings.

1. games
NoSQL

2. Patrick Huesler
twitter: @phuesler
github: phuesler

11. Games
How to build

12. Game backend
iOS
Flash
Facebook
Android

13. scale

14. for Diamond Dash
~28,000,000
monthly active users
15/04/2013

15. for Diamond Dash
~4,600,000
daily active users
15/04/2013

16. engineering

18. DEVOPS
You can call it

19. You Build it
YOU RUN IT

20. Developer
friendly

21. Operations
friendly

22. of architecture
EVOLUTION
Wooga’s

23. Prototype
It starts with a

26. Admin
interface
Add an

27. Simple
Backend
Services

28. Games
Past

29. learning
1st

30. Game backend
Reporting
iOS
Flash
Facebook
Android

31. Game backend
iOS
Flash
Facebook
Android
Reporting

32. GAme 1
Game 2
Reporting
GAme 3
Game 4

33. Kafkahttps://kafka.apache.org/index.html

34. TIME

35. LAMP
Built with

36. ... well, nginx instead of
apache
LAMP
Built with

37. learned?
what have we

38. FAST ENOUGH
mysql is often

39. TIME

40. cloud
To the

43. load balancer
master shard 1 master shard 2
slave shard 1 slave shard 2
app server app server app server

45. load balancer
DB
appapp app app app app
appapp app app app app
appapp app app app app
DB DB DB DB DB
DB DB DB DB DB DB

46. learned?
what have we

47. use case
different

48. Are NOT
arcade games
farming games

51. slow parts
Move

52. repeat
Rinse and

54. learned?
what have we

55. helps, but only to a certain
extent
machines
Adding more

56. Automated
Server Provisioning

57. Redis
Pros and cons of

58. facilitate database
changes
Abstractions
Good code

59. Tests
give confidence

60. are easier to reason about
Changes
Incremental

61. are easier to reason about
Rollouts
Incremental

62. crucial
monitoring is

63. TIME

64. dedicated
Back to

65. Machines
Faster

66. network
Faster

68. load balancer
REdis master Redis Slave
app server app server app server

69. u1_rooms_R1
u1_Pets_P2
u1_Pets_P3
u1_Pets_P4
u1_Pets_P5
u2_Pets_P1
u2_Pets_P2

70. u1_rooms_R1
u1_Pets_P2
u1_Pets_P3
u1_Pets_P4
u1_Pets_P5
u2_Pets_P1
u2_Pets_P2

71. REDIS
HASH

72. u1
U2
U3
XP
Rooms
Patients
XP
Rooms
Patients
XP
Rooms
Patients
U4

73. learned?
What have we

74. place
Magical
Showers are a

75. a relational database
NOT
Redis is

76. to move around
Is easier
Compound user data

79. Memory
Leaks?

80. work again?
BGSAVE
How does

81. working
no longer
Dumps are

84. learned?
What have we

85. Assumptions
Validate your

88. Restore on
Demand
Fix it with

89. Disk
Archive user to

90. Redis
Restore to

91. (never really supported)
Disk Store
Redis

92. learned?
What have we

93. less complexity
Machines
Less

94. Archiving
keeps the working set
small

95. compound
user data is easier to
move around

96. Trade off
Using Redis as your
main data store

98. TIME

99. Stateful
Let’s go

100. is faster than no database
database
NO

101. s3
Amazon

103. http://www.slideshare.net/wooga/from-0-to-1000000-daily-users-with-erlang

104. http://www.slideshare.net/wooga/from-0-to-1000000-daily-users-with-erlang

106. learned?
What have we

107. Erlang
is a great environment
to build distributed
systems

108. choice of database
trumps
Architecture

109. Stateful
is more complex

110. locking
Distributed

111. locker
https://github.com/wooga/locker

112. warlock
https://github.com/wooga/warlock
http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:615805

113. TIME

115. Event
MAchine

117. load balancer
Riak Riak Riak Riak Riak
appapp app app
appapp app app

118. learned?
What have we

119. Riak
Life with

120. Single Point
of Failure
NO!!!!!

121. Data
Modelling
and Access

122. Redis
Riak Cluster
User Data
Level
XP
Buildings
Scenes
Meta DaTa
Friend Index
HighScoreS

123. cluster
Riak

124. App Server
Riak
?

125. Backup
Riak

126. Amazon S3
Archive to

127. questions?
http://www.wooga.com/jobs
patrick.huesler@wooga.com

128. Referenced Presentations
http://www.slideshare.net/wooga
http://www.slideshare.net/wooga/how-to-handle-1000000-daily-users-without-using-a-cache-railswaycon-2012
http://www.slideshare.net/wooga/event-stream-processing-with-kafka-berlin-buzzwords-2012
http://www.slideshare.net/wooga/from-0-to-1000000-daily-users-with-erlang

129. Credits
Polar bear: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestrated1/167630455/sizes/o/
Family: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adwriter/212098009/sizes/o/
cart: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41304880@N05/6187541490/
cow closeup: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sovietuk/227465632/sizes/o/
sparta: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legofenris/5008721616/sizes/l/
tank: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markkelley/1581559810/sizes/l/
bomb: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7969902@N07/511234695/
scale: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31818720@N00/3273587681/
engineering: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31704690@N05/8253753576/
duck: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00/2785398344/
gear: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neurolysis/3335080917/
cat: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55753993@N00/2898378081/

130. Creditschronos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/8581497525
clouds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirak/644335254
dead end: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ableman/298520443
sloth: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs/461893969
stairs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pale_side_of_insomnia/3010459970
server rack: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamisonjudd/2433102356
gauge: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatguyfromcchs08/2300190277
pipe: http://www.flickr.com/photos/autowitch/102513226
shower: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/2047183582
archive: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kasaa/2693784352
water tap: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nachett/7852629550

131. Creditswrenches: http://www.flickr.com/photos/batega/1596898776
bike locks: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibcbulk/256435870
lock master: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell
lock : http://www.flickr.com/photos/dzarro72
water wheel: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30649191@N00/8686135236
starwars family: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalexanderson/6312014327
playdo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/manueb/1674681674
microphone: http://www.flickr.com/photos/auralasia/4381121155
cluster: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersmith/280267119
backup: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dippy_duck/4562866718
architecture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bzyla/1331648993
library: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fahdad/1718853829