Flashield - A Hybrid Key-value Cache that Controls Flash Write Amplification

Explore a 25-minute conference talk from USENIX NSDI '19 that introduces Flashield, a hybrid key-value cache designed to control flash write amplification in SSD storage. Learn how this innovative system uses DRAM as a filter to limit writes to SSD, employing lightweight machine learning for admission control. Discover the novel in-memory indexing technique that efficiently utilizes cache memory for variable-sized objects stored on flash. Understand how Flashield maintains a low write amplification of 0.5× compared to state-of-the-art systems, without compromising hit rate or throughput. Gain insights into the challenges of using SSDs for write-heavy use cases in cloud application databases and how Flashield addresses these issues.