AWS RDS vs Amazon Aurora: Key Differences, Pros & Cons, and Pricing Comparison

Introduction

Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers multiple managed database services, including Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and Amazon Aurora. While both services provide scalable and managed relational databases, they cater to different use cases and offer varying levels of performance, availability, and cost-efficiency.

In this article, we’ll break down the differences between AWS RDS and Amazon Aurora, highlighting their functionalities, benefits, drawbacks, and pricing structures.

What is AWS RDS?

Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is a managed database service that supports multiple database engines, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server. It simplifies database administration by handling backups, patch management, scaling, and failover.

How AWS RDS Works

• AWS RDS automates database provisioning, scaling, and maintenance.
• Users can choose from different database engines and deploy instances in different AWS regions.
• It provides built-in monitoring, backup, and security features.
• High availability can be achieved using Multi-AZ deployments.

Pros of AWS RDS

✅ Supports multiple database engines (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, etc.)
✅ Automated backups and maintenance
✅ Easy to scale vertically by upgrading instances
✅ Supports read replicas for improved performance
✅ Secure with encryption and VPC integration

Cons of AWS RDS

❌ Performance can be limited compared to Aurora
❌ Scaling limitations in high-traffic applications
❌ Licensing fees for commercial engines like SQL Server and Oracle

What is Amazon Aurora?

Amazon Aurora is a cloud-native relational database designed for high performance and availability. It is compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL and offers up to 5 times the performance of standard MySQL and 3 times the performance of PostgreSQL, thanks to its distributed storage architecture.

How Amazon Aurora Works

• Aurora uses a distributed, fault-tolerant storage system that replicates data across multiple availability zones (AZs).
• It automatically scales storage from 10GB to 128TB.
• Supports up to 15 read replicas, enabling better performance for read-intensive applications.
• Offers Aurora Serverless for automatic scaling based on demand.

Pros of Amazon Aurora

✅ High performance with lower latency
✅ Automated scaling with Aurora Serverless
✅ Replicates data six times across three availability zones
✅ Faster failover (usually under 30 seconds)
✅ Up to 15 read replicas for better read performance
✅ Lower total cost of ownership compared to commercial databases

Cons of Amazon Aurora

❌ Only supports MySQL and PostgreSQL compatibility (no Oracle or SQL Server)
❌ More expensive than standard RDS for smaller workloads
❌ Requires more advanced database management expertise

Pricing Comparison: AWS RDS vs Amazon Aurora

AWS RDS Pricing

• AWS RDS pricing depends on the chosen database engine, instance type, storage, and backup configurations. Pricing starts as low as $0.017 per hour for small instances, with additional costs for storage and data transfer.
• Multi-AZ deployments cost more due to redundancy.
• Read replicas have separate charges.
• License fees apply for Oracle and SQL Server.

Amazon Aurora Pricing

• Aurora is priced based on instance size, storage, and I/O requests. It typically costs $0.10 to $0.35 per hour for instances, but with Aurora Serverless, you only pay for what you use.
• Storage automatically scales, reducing upfront costs.
• I/O operations are metered separately.
• Aurora can be more cost-effective for high-performance applications compared to commercial databases.

AWS RDS vs Amazon Aurora: Which One Should You Choose?

Choose AWS RDS if:

✔ You need a fully managed service with multiple database engine options.
✔ Your application does not require extreme scalability or performance.
✔ You want an easier migration path for Oracle or SQL Server.

Choose Amazon Aurora if:

✔ You need high performance and scalability with MySQL or PostgreSQL.
✔ You run high-traffic applications that require multiple read replicas.
✔ You want a cost-effective alternative to commercial databases.
✔ You need fast, automatic failover and high availability.

Conclusion

Both AWS RDS and Amazon Aurora offer powerful managed database solutions, but their use cases differ. AWS RDS is versatile and supports multiple database engines, making it ideal for general applications. Aurora, on the other hand, is built for performance and scalability, making it suitable for high-demand workloads.

When deciding between the two, consider factors like performance needs, database compatibility, cost, and scalability requirements. If your application demands high availability, faster failover, and superior read performance, Aurora is the better choice. However, if you need a reliable, multi-engine database solution with managed services, AWS RDS is a strong option.