Choosing the right database for your RTO and RPO requirements - AWS Prescriptive Guidance

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 Cross-Region read replica

  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 Cross-Region read replica

  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 Cross-Region read replica

  1. Pilot light

  2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic

 Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. Typically under 1 second
Amazon RDS for Db2 Multi-AZ or IBM Q Replication (should be set up separately; not part of the managed service)

  1. Cold standby

  2. Hot standby using IBM Q Replication

 Usually minutes. Usually minutes for Multi-AZ; zero for IBM Q Replication
Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition Global database 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. Typically under 1 second
Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition Global database 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. 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 for Redis 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 DynamoDB global tables Active/active configuration accepts write operations in secondary Region Zero or near zero. Sub-second
Amazon RDS for Oracle Read replica promotion across Regions (Oracle Enterprise Edition and Active Data Guard)

  1. Pilot light

  2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic

 Usually minutes. Usually minutes
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. Usually minutes
Amazon RDS for SQL Server Cross-Region read replica (Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition 2016-2019)

  1. Pilot light

  2. Warm standby with capability for read traffic

 Usually minutes. Automation can minimize delays. Typically under 1 second