Amazon RDS Overview and Configuration
Explore the components of an RDS cluster and its deployment types, along with a real-world use case example.
Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is a fully managed service that simplifies database setup, scaling, operation, and failure recovery. It supports structured, relational data models and is widely used in cloud-native applications that require transactional consistency, automated backups, and integrated monitoring.
More than just a database hosting solution, Amazon RDS integrates deeply into the AWS ecosystem, allowing developers to manage data infrastructure programmatically using the AWS CLI, SDKs, and infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like AWS CloudFormation and AWS CDK.
Before applying these capabilities practically, we must understand the architectural components and deployment options that define how RDS operates within a developer’s environment.
Database engines
Amazon RDS supports several popular relational database engines. Each engine version defines supported features, query capabilities, and parameter configurations. As of this writing, Amazon RDS supports Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and IBM Db2. Developers choose engines based on workload compatibility, licensing, and performance requirements. AWS manages engine updates, patching, and maintenance through DB parameter groups that provide fine-grained control over engine behavior.