Amazon RDS

What is Amazon RDS?

Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) is AWS’s managed service for relational databases. A relational database is the backbone of almost every business application – it stores structured data in tables with clear relationships. However, ensuring the reliable operation of such a database is complex: backups, updates, failover and performance tuning require specialist knowledge.

RDS takes care of precisely these operational tasks for you. You choose a database engine, a size and a configuration – AWS takes care of provisioning, regular backups, security patches and monitoring. Your team can focus on the data model and the application rather than on database administration.

Supported database engines

RDS supports several established engines, meaning existing applications can usually be migrated without code changes:

• PostgreSQL: A powerful open-source database with a wide range of features.
• MySQL and MariaDB: Widely used open-source engines, often powering web applications.
• Oracle and SQL Server: Commercial engines for businesses with existing licences.
• Amazon Aurora: An engine developed by AWS that is compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL and offers higher performance.

High availability and backups

A key advantage of RDS is its multi-AZ deployment: AWS maintains a synchronously mirrored standby database in a second Availability Zone. If the primary database fails, the standby instance takes over automatically – without manual intervention. In addition, RDS creates automatic backups and enables point-in-time recovery, which allows the database state to be restored to a specific second in the past.

Security and data protection

RDS databases are operated within a private network (Amazon VPC) and are not directly accessible from the internet. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit. When operated in an EU region, RDS can be used for personal data in compliance with the GDPR.

RDS for SMEs

For most SMEs, RDS is the right choice as soon as a database moves to the cloud. Instead of running a database yourself on an EC2 instance and taking on all operational tasks, RDS provides a secure, managed service. For applications with highly fluctuating workloads or where maximum performance is required, it is worth considering Amazon Aurora as a more powerful alternative.