RDS Automatic Backup, RDS Snapshots, and the Restore Flashcards
What are RDS Automatic Backups?
RDS Automatic Backups are a feature that automatically captures the state of your RDS databases at a specified daily backup window and retains them for a defined retention period. This enables point-in-time recovery for your databases.
How do RDS Snapshots differ from Automatic Backups?
RDS Snapshots are user-initiated backups of your database’s state at a specific point in time. Unlike Automatic Backups, which are deleted after the retention period, Snapshots remain until you explicitly delete them.
What is the retention period for RDS Automatic Backups?
The retention period for RDS Automatic Backups can be set between 0 and 35 days. A setting of 0 means automatic backups are turned off. The default setting is 7 days.
Can you perform a point-in-time recovery with RDS Snapshots?
No, point-in-time recovery is only available with RDS Automatic Backups. RDS Snapshots capture the state of the database at the time the snapshot was taken, allowing for restoration from that specific point only.
How do you restore an RDS database from a Snapshot?
To restore an RDS database from a Snapshot, you can use the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or RDS API to create a new RDS instance from the selected snapshot.
Are RDS Snapshots and Automatic Backups stored in the same location?
Yes, both RDS Snapshots and Automatic Backups are stored in Amazon S3. However, they are managed differently by AWS and have different implications for data restoration and retention.
What happens to RDS Snapshots and Automatic Backups if you delete an RDS instance?
Deleting an RDS instance does not automatically delete Snapshots; they must be manually deleted. However, Automatic Backups are deleted if the retention period is set to 0 or if you choose to skip the final snapshot when deleting the instance.
Can you share RDS Snapshots with other AWS accounts?
Yes, RDS Snapshots can be shared with other AWS accounts, enabling scenarios such as copying snapshots across accounts for development or disaster recovery purposes.
How do you manage the backup window for RDS Automatic Backups?
You can specify the backup window for RDS Automatic Backups when creating or modifying an RDS instance. AWS recommends selecting a time with low database activity for the backup window to minimize performance impact.
Do RDS Automatic Backups and Snapshots incur costs?
Yes, RDS Automatic Backups and Snapshots incur costs for the storage used. AWS provides a certain amount of free backup storage equal to the size of the provisioned database, but additional storage beyond that and for Snapshots incurs charges.
