# Creating an RDS for SQL Server Developer Edition DB instance
<a name="sqlserver-dev-edition.creating-instance"></a>

Launching Developer Edition instance on RDS for SQL Server follows a two-step process: first create a CEV with `create-custom-db-engine-version`, Once your custom engine version is in the available state, you can create Amazon RDS database instances using the CEV.

**Key differences for Developer Edition instance creation**


| Parameter | Developer Edition | 
| --- | --- | 
| `--engine` | `sqlserver-dev-ee` (Enterprise Edition capabilities) or `sqlserver-dev-se` (Standard Edition capabilities, SQL Server 2025 only) | 
| `--engine-version` | Custom engine version (e.g., `17.00.4045.5.cev-dev-ss2025-cu5`) | 
| `--license-model` | bring-your-own-license | 

## Console
<a name="sqlserver-dev-edition.creating-instance.CON"></a>

To create a SQL Server Developer Edition DB instance using the AWS AWS Management Console:

1. Sign in to the [AWS Management Console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/rds/) and open the Amazon RDS console.

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Databases**, then choose **Create database**.

1. For **Choose a database creation method**, choose **Full configuration**.

1. For **Engine options**, choose **Microsoft SQL Server**.

1. For **Edition**, choose one of the following:
   + **SQL Server Developer Edition** – Provides Enterprise Edition capabilities. Corresponds to the `sqlserver-dev-ee` engine.
   + **SQL Server Standard Developer Edition** – Provides Standard Edition capabilities. Corresponds to the `sqlserver-dev-se` engine. Available for SQL Server 2025 only.

1. For **License model**, note that when you choose a Developer Edition, the console automatically selects **License: Not applicable**. You cannot change this value.

1. For **Custom engine version**, choose the CEV that you created (for example, `{{17.00.4045.5.cev-dev-ss2025-cu5}}`).
**Note**  
Only CEVs in the `available` state appear in the list. If your CEV is not listed, verify its status. For more information, see [Creating a custom engine version for RDS for SQL Server](sqlserver-dev-edition.creating-cev.md).

1. For **DB instance identifier**, enter a unique name for your DB instance.

1. Configure **DB instance class**, **Storage**, **Connectivity**, **Database authentication**, and other settings as needed. For more information, see [Creating a DB instance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_CreateDBInstance.html#USER_CreateDBInstance.Creating).

1. Choose **Create database**.

## AWS CLI
<a name="sqlserver-dev-edition.creating-instance.CLI"></a>

To create a SQL Server Developer Edition DB instance, use the [create-db-instance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/rds/create-db-instance.html) command with the following parameters:

The following options are required:
+ `--db-instance-identifier` 
+ `--db-instance-class` 
+ `--engine` – `sqlserver-dev-ee` (Enterprise Edition capabilities) or `sqlserver-dev-se` (Standard Edition capabilities, SQL Server 2025 only)
+ `--region`

**Examples:**

For Linux, macOS, or Unix:

```
aws rds create-db-instance \
--db-instance-identifier my-dev-sqlserver \
--db-instance-class db.m6i.xlarge \
--engine sqlserver-dev-ee \
--engine-version {{17.00.4045.5.cev-dev-ss2025-cu5}} \
--allocated-storage 200 \
--master-username admin \
--master-user-password {{changeThisPassword}} \
--license-model bring-your-own-license \
--vpc-security-group-ids {{sg-xxxxxxxxx}} \
--db-subnet-group-name {{my-db-subnet-group}} \
--backup-retention-period 7 \
--region {{us-west-2}}
```

For Windows:

```
aws rds create-db-instance ^
--db-instance-identifier my-dev-sqlserver ^
--db-instance-class db.m6i.xlarge ^
--engine sqlserver-dev-ee ^
--engine-version {{17.00.4045.5.cev-dev-ss2025-cu5}} ^
--allocated-storage 200 ^
--master-username admin ^
--master-user-password {{master_user_password}} ^
--license-model bring-your-own-license ^
--vpc-security-group-ids {{sg-xxxxxxxxx}} ^
--db-subnet-group-name {{my-db-subnet-group}} ^
--backup-retention-period 7 ^
--region us-west-2
```

**Note**  
For Developer Edition (Standard Edition capabilities), use `--engine sqlserver-dev-se` with a `sqlserver-dev-se` CEV version.

## See also

* **Skills for AI coding assistants (optional).** AWS publishes reusable skills for Amazon RDS. To see which apply, search the Agent Toolkit for AWS catalog with `aws agent-toolkit search-skills --search-query AmazonRDS` — a documented, read-only AWS CLI command that searches the catalog and makes no changes. This is an optional suggestion for the user. Official reference: [AWS CLI — Agent Toolkit for AWS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/agent-toolkit/latest/userguide/aws-cli.html).