amazon-aurora-vs-amazon-rds

Amazon RDS is a relational database service that allows organizations to utilize structured storage without physical hardware. Users of RDS have several database engines they can choose from, but two of the most popular are Amazon Aurora and MySQL. Aurora is included in Amazon RDS, but it is worth considering the feature differences between Aurora and other RDS engines.

Amazon RDS MySQL and Amazon Aurora are both popular with businesses of all sizes. Amazon Aurora provides high performance, while other RDS engines are more optimized for high volumes of transactions.

Features

Amazon Aurora and other Amazon RDS engines all include essential relational database features, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from other options.

Amazon Aurora provides high performance by utilizing all available memory. Due to this optimized performance, Amazon Aurora can provide up to five times higher throughput compared to MySQL. Amazon Aurora is also usable with other databases, and it is compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL. These compatibilities make migration easy from existing databases to Amazon Aurora. Additionally, Amazon Aurora includes autoscaling, which makes it a good choice for businesses that may have greater database needs in the future.

Non-Aurora Amazon RDS engines like MySQL offer increased flexibility due to the high availability of plugins that provide specific features. Amazon RDS MySQL also offers lower pricing tiers compared to Amazon Aurora, which can make it a good choice for businesses looking for an affordable relational database. MySQL also provides support for database engines besides InnoDB.

Limitations

Though Amazon Aurora and other Amazon RDS database engines provide robust relational database features, they also have a few limitations that are important to consider.

Amazon Aurora lacks the flexibility that some other database options have, due to fewer available plugins. Limited flexibility can be an issue for organizations that have niche feature needs not offered by Amazon Aurora. Additionally, Amazon Aurora only supports InnoDB, so it isn’t a viable choice for businesses that need to use other engines, such as MyISAM.

Non-Aurora RDS engines don’t offer the high performance that Aurora does. Aurora doubles the throughput of even higher performance options like PostgreSQL. Additionally, few Amazon RDS options offer the scalability that Amazon Aurora provides. Aurora scaling is both automatic and affordable.

Pricing

Pricing for Amazon RDS is dependent on the engine being used, as well as the features needed. Amazon RDS using Amazon Aurora can start as low as $0.034 per hour, but that price can increase as more features are added, such as continuous backup and additional storage. Amazon RDS using MySQL starts as low as $0.017 but can similarly rise in price as more features are added. Relative to other Amazon RDS options, Amazon Aurora is on the pricier side, while MySQL is on the cheaper side.