Choosing the right database for your RTO and RPO requirements
When you have defined the DR strategy for your organization based on the table in the previous section, choose the databases that are the right fit for your RPO and RTO requirements. By default, all AWS database services provide backup and restore functionality. Use the following table to understand more advanced DR features provided by AWS database services and map them to your DR requirements.
AWS database service | Replication method to DR Region | Possible standby classification | RTO | RPO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Amazon RDS for MySQL | 1. Pilot light 2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic | Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. | Typically under 1 second | |
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL | 1. Pilot light 2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic | Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. | Typically under 1 second | |
Amazon RDS for MariaDB | 1. Pilot light 2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic | Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. | Typically under 1 second | |
Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition | Global database | 1. Hot standby with capability to support read traffic 2. Warm standby with capability to support read traffic | Typically under 1 minute. | Typically under 1 second |
Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition | Global database | 1. Hot standby with capability to support read traffic 2. Warm standby with capability to support read traffic | Typically under 1 minute. | Typically under 1 second |
Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) | Global cluster has secondary cluster(s) in a different Region | 1. Hot standby with capability to support read traffic 2. Warm standby with capability to support read traffic | Typically under 1 minute. | In seconds |
Amazon ElastiCache (Redis OSS) | Global datastore has a secondary cluster in a different Region | 1. Hot standby with capability to support read traffic 2. Warm standby with capability to support read traffic | Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. | In seconds |
Amazon DynamoDB | Active/active configuration accepts write operations in secondary Region | Zero or near zero. | Sub-second | |
Amazon RDS for Oracle | Read replica promotion across Regions | 1. Pilot light 2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic | Usually minutes. | Typically under 1 second |
Amazon RDS for Oracle (alternative) | Mounted read replica promotion across Regions (Oracle Enterprise Edition) | 1. Pilot light 2. Warm standby (doesn't allow read queries) | Usually minutes. | Typically under 1 second |
Amazon RDS for SQL Server | Cross-Region read replica (Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition 2016-2022) | 1. Pilot light 2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic | Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. | Typically under 1 second |
Amazon Neptune | Global database | 1. Hot standby with capability to support read traffic 2. Warm standby with capability to support read traffic | Typically under 1 minute. | Typically 1 second |
Amazon RDS for Db2 | (Amazon RDS for Db2 11.5.9 and 12.1.4) | 1. Pilot light 2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic | Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. | Typically under 1 second |
Amazon MemoryDBMulti-Region | Active/active configuration accepts write operations in secondary Region | Zero or near zero. | Typically under 1 second |
