Transparent proxy tunnel caching for database access

• US 10,061,852 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2015
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Plenderleith, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Gracia, Gary S
• Application Number:
  US14/716,690
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 713165, 713189, 707683, 707769, 726 22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1744 using compression, e.g. sparse files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A proxy tunnel may be implemented to provide transparent caching for database access. A database proxy may maintain a results cache of previous queries directed to a database. Database clients may send access requests directed to a database, such as query requests or update requests, to a database proxy formatted according to an interface for the database. When a query request is received, the query request may be evaluated to determine whether the results cache maintains a valid version of the data requested by the query. If valid, the results cache may be accessed and the data sent to the client without querying the database for the data. Multiple database proxies may be implemented to provide compression and encryption when transporting data between a database client and a database, in some embodiments.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more computing devices implementing a database having an interface to accept query and update requests to the database according to a format;

one or more computing devices implementing a server-side database proxy that accesses the database via the interface, the server-side proxy being separately maintained from the database;

one or more computing devices implementing a client-side database proxy, configured to;

receive, from a database client, a query request for select data of the database that is directed to the database, wherein the query request is formatted according to the interface for the database;

evaluate the query request to determine that a valid version of the select data is stored as part of a results cache that stores data received from the server-side database proxy for previously performed queries to the database;

in response to the determination that the valid version of the select data is stored as part of the results cache;

access the results cache to obtain the select data; and

send the select data to the database client; and

in response to receiving an update request from the database client for at least a portion of the select data, invalidate the portion of the select data in the results cache;

wherein the client-side database proxy comprises a proxy interface that replicates the interface of the database, and the query request and update request are received via the proxy interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side database proxy is further configured to:

receive, from the database client, another query request for other select data separately maintained in the database;

evaluate the other query request to determine that a valid version of the other select data is not stored as part of the results cache;

in response to the determination that the valid version of the other select data is not stored as part of the results cache, send a request to the server-side database proxy to obtain other select data from the database; and

in response to receiving the other select data from the server-side database proxy, send the other select data to the database client.

3. The system of claim 2,

wherein the server-side database proxy is configured to:

prior to sending the other select data to the client-side database proxy, perform at least one of the following;

compress the other select data according to one or more compression techniques;

or

encrypt the other select data according to one or more encryption techniques;

wherein the client-side database proxy is configured to;

prior to sending the other select data to the database client, perform at least one of the following;

decompress the other select data according to the one or more compression techniques;

or

decrypt the other select data according to the one or more encryption techniques.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the server-side database proxy is configured to:

detect an update to the select data that results in a new version of the select data; and

send the new version of the select data to the client-side database proxy to update the select data stored in the results cache;

wherein the client-side database proxy is configured to;

receive the new version of the select data; and

store the new version of the select data in the results cache for subsequent access.

5. A method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computing devices;

receiving, at a transparent database proxy, a query request from a database client for select data separately maintained as part of a database, wherein the query request is formatted according to a proxy interface, and the proxy interface replicates an interface of the database that accepts query and update requests for the database and directed to the database;

evaluating, at the database proxy, the query request to determine that a valid version of the select data is stored as part of a results cache storing data obtained from previously performed queries to the database;

in response to determining that the valid version of the select data is stored as part of the results cache;

accessing, by the database proxy, the results cache to obtain the select data; and

sending, from the database proxy, the select data to the database client; and

in response to receiving an update request for at least a portion of the select data via the proxy interface, invalidate the portion of the select data in the results cache.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, at the database proxy from the database client, another query request for other select data separately maintained in the database;

evaluating, at the database proxy, the other query request to determine that a valid version of the other select data is not stored as part of the results cache;

in response to determining that the valid version of the other select data is not stored as part of the results cache, sending, from the database proxy, a request to obtain the other select data from the database; and

in response to receiving the other select data at the database proxy, sending, from the database proxy, the other select data to the database client.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the database proxy is a client-side database proxy, wherein the request to obtain the other select data is sent to a server-side database proxy, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending, by the server-side database proxy, the query request to the database to obtain the other select data; and

in response to receiving the other select data from the database at the server-side database proxy, sending, by the server-side database proxy, the other select data to the client-side database proxy in order to update the results cache with the valid version of the other select data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

prior to sending the other select data to the client-side database proxy, compressing, by the server-side database proxy, the other select data according to one or more compression techniques; and

prior to sending the other select data to the database client, decompressing, by the client-side database proxy, the other select data according to the one or more compression techniques.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the client-side proxy is implemented as part of a same network as the database client, wherein the server-side proxy is implemented as part of same other network as the database, wherein communication between the network and the other network is transported via a public network, and wherein the method further comprises:

prior to sending the other select data to the client-side database proxy, encrypting, by the server-side database proxy, the other select data according to one or more encryption techniques; and

prior to sending the other select data to the database client, decrypting, by the client-side database proxy, the other select data according to the one or more encryption techniques.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the database proxy is a client-side database proxy, wherein the data obtained from the previously performed queries to the database is received at the client-side database proxy from a server-side database proxy, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, at the server-side database proxy, an update to the select data that results in a new version of the select data; and

sending, by the server-side database proxy, the new version of the select data to update the select data stored in the results cache.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the database proxy is a client-side database proxy, wherein the client-side proxy is implemented as part of a same network as the database client, wherein the database is implemented as part of another network, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the client-side database proxy from another database client implemented as part of the same network as the database client and the client-side database proxy, another query request for the select data that is directed to the database;

evaluating, at the client-side database proxy, the query request to determine that the valid version of the select data is stored as part of the results cache;

in response to determining that the valid version of the select data is stored as part of the results cache;

accessing, by the client-side database proxy, the results cache to obtain the select data; and

sending, from the client-side database proxy, the select data to the other database client.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

obtaining a valid version of the portion of the select data from the database; and

updating the results cache with the valid version the portion of select data.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, at the database proxy from the database client, a query request for other select data separately maintained as part of a different database than the database, wherein the query request is formatted according to another proxy interface that replicates another interface for the different database that accepts query requests for the different database, wherein the query request for the other select data is directed to the different database;

evaluating, at the database proxy, the query request to determine that a valid version of the other select data is stored as part of the results cache storing data obtained from previously performed queries to the different database;

in response to determining that the valid version of the other select data is stored as part of the results cache;

accessing, by the database proxy, the results cache to obtain the other select data; and

sending, from the database proxy, the other select data to the database client.

14. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions that when executed by one or more computing devices cause the one or more computing devices to implement:

receiving, at a transparent database proxy, a query request from a database client for select data separately maintained as part of a database, wherein the query request is formatted according to a proxy interface, and the proxy interface replicates an interface of the database that accepts query and update requests for the database, wherein the query request is directed to the database;

evaluating, at the database proxy, the query request to determine that a valid version of the select data is stored as part of a results cache storing data obtained from previously performed queries to the database;

in response to determining that the valid version of the select data is stored as part of the results cache;

accessing, by the database proxy, the results cache to obtain the select data; and

sending, from the database proxy, the select data to the database client; and

in response to receiving an update request for at least a portion of the select data via the proxy interface, invalidate the portion of the select data in the results cache.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program instructions cause the one or more computing devices to further implement:

receiving, at the database proxy from the database client, another query request for other select data separately maintained in the database;

evaluating, at the database proxy, the other query request to determine that a valid version of the other select data is not stored as part of the results cache;

in response to determining that the valid version of the other select data is not stored as part of the results cache, sending, from the database proxy, a request to obtain the other select data from the database; and

in response to receiving the other select data at the database proxy, sending, from the database proxy, the other select data to the database client.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the database proxy is a client-side database proxy, wherein the request to obtain the other select data is sent to a server-side database proxy, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending, by the server-side database proxy, the query request to the database to obtain the other select data; and

in response to receiving the other select data from the database at the server-side database proxy, sending, by the server-side database proxy, the other select data to the client-side database proxy in order to update the results cache with the valid version of the other select data.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the database proxy is a client-side database proxy, wherein the data obtained from the previously performed queries to the database is received at the client-side database proxy from a server-side database proxy, and wherein the program instructions cause the one or more computing devices to further implement:

detecting, at the server-side database proxy, an update to the select data that results in a new version of the select data; and

sending, by the server-side database proxy, the new version of the select data to update the select data stored in the results cache.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the database proxy is a server-side database proxy.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program instructions cause the one or more computing devices to further implement:

receiving, at the database proxy from the database client, another query request for other select data separately maintained in the database;

evaluating, at the database proxy, the query request to determine that the other query request does not satisfy an access control policy for the database; and

in response to determining that the other query request does not satisfy the access control policy, denying, at the database proxy, the other query request.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the database is a network-based database service implemented as part of a provider network, wherein the database proxy is a client-side database proxy, wherein the client-side database proxy and the database client are implemented as part of a network different than the provider network.