What is Amazon RDS used for?

Amazon RDS is a managed relational database service on AWS for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle and Amazon Aurora. It is a good fit for hosting a SQL database for a web application and moving a database from on premises to AWS.

How much does Amazon RDS cost?

Amazon RDS is a paid product with no free plan. A free trial is available.

Is Amazon RDS open source?

No. Amazon RDS is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Amazon RDS include MySQL, MariaDB and Autobase.

What are some alternatives to Amazon RDS?

Amazon RDS competes with Amazon Aurora, Aiven and PlanetScale. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Amazon RDS alternatives.

Amazon RDS: features, pricing and alternatives

About Amazon RDS

Amazon Relational Database Service, or RDS, is a managed relational database service on AWS. It lets teams run familiar engines such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and Oracle, and Amazon Aurora, without handling the underlying servers, patching, backups or routine administration.

AWS describes RDS as a fully managed service for operating and scaling a relational database of choice. It is a proprietary AWS service with no self-hosted edition, billed on usage, and AWS documents supported engine versions, high-availability options, read replicas and pricing on its site. It suits applications that need a conventional SQL database on AWS.

Key features

Managed MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server
Oracle and Amazon Aurora engine options
Automated backups and patching
High availability and read replicas
Scaling without server administration

Good fit for

→Hosting a SQL database for a web application
→Moving a database from on premises to AWS

Tags: aws; relational-database; managed-database; mysql; postgresql; sql-server; dbaas

Amazon RDS: questions and answers

What is Amazon RDS used for?: Amazon RDS is a managed relational database service on AWS for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle and Amazon Aurora. It is a good fit for hosting a SQL database for a web application and moving a database from on premises to AWS.
How much does Amazon RDS cost?: Amazon RDS is a paid product with no free plan. A free trial is available.
Is Amazon RDS open source?: No. Amazon RDS is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Amazon RDS include MySQL, MariaDB and Autobase.
What are some alternatives to Amazon RDS?: Amazon RDS competes with Amazon Aurora, Aiven and PlanetScale. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Amazon RDS alternatives.