Why has MinIO's S3 compatibility API seen a 30% drop in successful requests over the past week?

Introduction

MinIO's S3 compatibility API has experienced a significant 30% drop in successful requests over the past week, indicating a critical issue that requires immediate attention. To address this problem, I'll employ a systematic approach to identify, validate, and resolve the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term implications for the product.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Considering the sudden drop, I'm wondering if there have been any recent changes to the API or infrastructure. Have there been any deployments or updates in the past week?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with performance issues. Expected answer: Yes, there was a minor update to the API last week. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on the recent changes as a primary area of investigation.

• Given the specific 30% drop, I'm curious about the distribution of this decline. Is it uniform across all users and use cases, or are certain segments more affected?

Why it matters: Helps identify if the issue is global or specific to certain user groups or scenarios. Expected answer: The drop is more pronounced for high-volume users. Impact on approach: We'd prioritize investigating high-volume user workflows and potential scalability issues.

• Thinking about external factors, have there been any changes in user behavior or traffic patterns that might explain this drop?

Why it matters: External factors could be causing the issue rather than internal system problems. Expected answer: No significant changes in user behavior have been observed. Impact on approach: We'd focus more on internal factors if external changes are ruled out.

• Considering the possibility of measurement errors, has there been any change in how we track or define successful requests?

Why it matters: Ensures we're not chasing a non-existent problem due to data inconsistencies. Expected answer: No changes in measurement or definition. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we can trust the data and focus on actual performance issues.