Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the largest provider of cloud-based computing and virtual storage services. The Aurora is a cloud-centric relational database (RDS) that blends the ease of availability and high-performance power of conventional database systems with the efficiency and affordability of open-source databases. Aurora from Amazon is completely compatible with PostgreSQL and MySQL databases. However, tests show that Amazon Aurora is at least thrice as fast as the basic PostgreSQL and over 5 times as fast as conventional MySQL databases.

Amazon Aurora FAQs in 2021

Despite its popularity, there are still tens of thousands of potential new users who are undecided whether or not to shift their database to Amazon Aurora. To make the decision simpler for you, we have outlined and answered every frequently asked question (FAQ) about Amazon Aurora in 2021.

Below, we have listed several of the most commonly-asked queries about the general aspects, performance, and hardware features of AWS Aurora. Let’s take at some of the most common and frequently asked questions that are posed by new and even experienced users to Amazon:

GENERAL QUESTIONS ON AMAZON AURORA

Q – What is Amazon Aurora?

Amazon Aurora, as explained earlier in short, is a relational database engine that has the speed and reliability of expensive commercial databases but includes the simplicity and affordability of open-source databases. It is completely compatible to work with MySQL and PostgreSQL databases but is many times faster than both.

Amazon Aurora is easy to use with the help of Amazon RDS which manages Amazon Aurora databases, handles time-consuming tasks like patching, provisioning, recovery, backup and failure detection among others efficiently.

Q – How much does Amazon Aurora cost?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers Aurora with no upfront payment or commitment. Users can simply pay the cost of using server resources with a monthly billing plan. AWS Aurora is priced quite reasonably and is considered to be one of the most affordable and excellent cloud-based database services in existence today.

For detailed information of the cost of using Amazon Aurora, we urge you to visit the official website of AWS and get the latest rates and quotes for Amazon Aurora.

Q – How to start using Amazon Aurora?

To begin using Amazon Aurora, all you need to do is sign in to the AWS Console. Next, click on the Database category and select RDS. Finally, you will need to select Amazon Aurora as your default database engine and you can begin using Amazon Aurora easily.

Q – In which AWS regions is Amazon Aurora available?

Amazon Aurora is provided to users in numerous Amazon Availability regions, including 2 in US East, 2 in US West, 6 in the Asia Pacific region, 6 in Europe, 2 AWS GovCloud regions and 1 region each in Africa, South America, Canada and the Middle East.

PERFORMANCE QUESTIONS ON AMAZON AURORA

Q – How fast is Amazon Aurora?

Amazon Aurora delivers noticeable enhancement in performance, as compared to MySQL or PostgreSQL databases. It works by tightly integrating a database engine with an SSD-centric virtual storage layer, which is built mainly for managing database workloads. It functions by reducing writes to the storage system and decreasing lock contention that prevent delays caused by database process threads.

This is the reason that Amazon Aurora works multiple times faster than MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.

Q – How to optimize database workload for Amazon Aurora MySQL and PostgreSQL databases?

Amazon Aurora is designed to be completely compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL. You can easily run existing MySQL and PostgreSQL apps and tools without making any modifications to them. To maximize the throughput of your workload on Amazon Aurora, it is advisable to create your own applications for handling large numbers of transactions and concurrent queries.

HARDWARE QUESTIONS ON AMAZON AURORA

Q – What are the storage limits of Amazon Aurora databases?

Amazon Aurora offers minimum storage of 10 GB. Depending on your use of the database, Amazon automatically increases the storage space by as much as 128 TB, in 10 GB slabs, with no adverse effect on the overall performance of the database. Amazon Aurora does not require the user to provide storage space beforehand.

Q – How to scale compute resources related to the Amazon Aurora DB instance?

Users can easily scale the compute resources by simply modifying it using the Modify button on the AWS Management Console. You can also change your DB instance class by modifying memory and CPU resources.

Conclusion

Amazon Aurora remains the leading MySQL and PostgreSQL compatible cloud computing and storage service from AWS. It is incredibly powerful, fast and extremely affordable. Using Amazon Aurora, small and large enterprises have gained significant benefits and advantages when it comes to cloud computing and storage.


AUTHOR

Steve is a product-marketer and Engineer at Cloudysave who works with Cloud Management and Adoption team. Over the past years, he has collaborated with multiple teams to provide a robust and cost-effective architecture patterns to influence business and engineering decisions. His key areas of interests include Cloud Costs Management, Security and DevOps Best-Practices.