Key concepts and architecture of Amazon RDS - Amazon Relational Database Service
ArchitectureFeaturesSupported engines

Key concepts and architecture of Amazon RDS

Amazon RDS is a fully managed service that simplifies the deployment and management of relational databases in the cloud. It supports multiple database engines and automates tasks like provisioning, patching, backups, and scaling so you can focus on application development.

RDS includes features such as Multi-AZ deployments, automated backups, and resource scaling. Understanding these key concepts and architectural components is important for optimizing performance, security, and availability.

Architecture

Amazon RDS is built on a distributed architecture designed to provide scalability, availability, and reliability for your database workloads.

Database instances

A database instance (DB instance) provides the underlying infrastructure for your database. It includes compute (CPU and memory), storage, and IOPS, all managed by AWS. You're responsible for your database software and configurations, while AWS handles hardware provisioning, maintenance, and backups.

For more information, see Amazon RDS DB instances.

Multi-Availability Zone deployments

For high availability, RDS can deploy a database across multiple Availability Zones (AZs). RDS replicates the primary database instance in one AZ to a standby instance in another AZ. In the event of failure, RDS automatically switches to the standby instance, which ensures minimal downtime.

For more information, see Configuring and managing a Multi-AZ deployment for Amazon RDS.

Storage

RDS provides multiple storage options, including General Purpose, Provisioned IOPS, and Magnetic storage, to meet different performance needs. Storage automatically scales as needed, and replication provides data durability.

For more information, see Amazon RDS DB instance storage.

Network integration

You can launch RDS instances within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), which lets you define network configurations and isolate your database in a secure environment. VPC integration also provides secure communication with other AWS resources like EC2 instances, Lambda functions, and S3 buckets.

For more information, see Amazon VPC and Amazon RDS.

Features

RDS includes a broad set of features that make database management easier and more efficient.

Automated backups and snapshots

RDS automatically takes daily backups of your DB instance, retaining backup data for a configurable retention period. You can take manual snapshots in order to preserve a point-in-time backup of your database, which you can later restore to create a new instance.

For more information, see Introduction to backups.

Scalability

RDS supports both vertical and horizontal scaling. To scale vertically, modify your instance type to handle increased database load. To scale horizontally, create read replicas to distribute read traffic across multiple instances and improve performance.

For more information, see Working with storage for Amazon RDS DB instances.

Security

RDS provides security features to safeguard your data and manage access. It supports encryption at rest and in transit using SSL and AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS). RDS integrates with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to control access to DB instances. It also supports Kerberos authentication for centralized and secure user authentication. Additionally, RDS integrates with AWS Secrets Manager to securely manage and rotate database credentials, which minimizes the risks of hard-coded secrets. You can isolate RDS instances within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), and use security groups and network access control lists (ACLs) for fine-grained network access control.

For more information, see Security in Amazon RDS.

Blue/Green Deployments

RDS Blue/Green Deployments help you safely deploy application updates or new configurations by running two separate environments (blue and green). This method reduces downtime and minimizes risks during the deployment process.

For more information, see Using Amazon RDS Blue/Green Deployments for database updates.

RDS Custom

With RDS Custom, you can run custom database engines on Amazon RDS. It provides full control over database configurations and extensions while benefiting from the scalability and management features of RDS. It’s ideal for workloads that require more flexibility than standard RDS instances.

For more information, see Amazon RDS Custom.

RDS Proxy

RDS Proxy is a fully managed, highly available database proxy that sits between your application and the RDS database. It helps improve application scalability, availability, and security by managing database connections efficiently, reducing the load on your database and minimizing connection overhead.

For more information, see Amazon RDS Proxy.

Zero-ETL integrations

RDS supports zero-ETL integrations, which provide data movement between your RDS databases and Amazon Redshift without the need for complex extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes. This simplifies data integration workflows and accelerates analytics.

For more information, see Amazon RDS zero-ETL integrations with Amazon Redshift.

Monitoring and Performance Insights

RDS provides monitoring through Amazon CloudWatch, which tracks key metrics such as CPU usage, storage space, and I/O activity. RDS Performance Insights offers deeper visibility into database performance, helping you identify bottlenecks and optimize queries.

For more information, see Monitoring metrics in an Amazon RDS instance.

Maintenance and patching

RDS manages software patching automatically within a specified maintenance window. This ensures that your DB instances stay up-to-date with the latest security patches and feature improvements without requiring manual intervention.

For more information, see Maintaining a DB instance.

Cross-Region replication

RDS supports cross-Region replication, so you can replicate your data to a different AWS Region for disaster recovery, data locality, and compliance purposes. You can use this feature to create global, low-latency applications.

For more information, see Creating a read replica in a different AWS Region.

Supported database engines

Amazon RDS supports the following database engines, so you can choose the right database technology for your application needs.

  • MySQL – Popular for web applications, offering compatibility with many tools and frameworks.

  • PostgreSQL – Known for advanced features, strong standards compliance, and extensibility.

  • MariaDB – An open-source fork of MySQL, offering additional features and high compatibility.

  • Oracle – Provides enterprise-grade capabilities, including advanced performance, security, and high availability.

  • Microsoft SQL Server – Suited for organizations relying on Microsoft technologies, offering analytics and Business Intelligence (BI) integration.

  • IBM Db2 – A database for enterprise applications, known for its scalability and advanced analytics.

Each engine comes with multiple versions and configurations, so you can align with your existing application requirements or take advantage of newer features.

This guide helps you select and configure a database engine during the setup process and provides links to resources for engine-specific optimization and features.