# AWS Aurora

> Amazon Aurora is a MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud, with storage replicated across three Availability Zones.

- Source: https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-aurora/
- Published: 2026-10-05
- Updated: 2026-10-05
- Author: Javier Ruiz Jiménez (https://www.javierruizjimenez.com/)
- Site: IT Wonder Lab (https://www.itwonderlab.com/)

---

**Amazon Aurora** is a relational database engine of [Amazon RDS](https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-rds/) that is compatible with **MySQL** and **PostgreSQL**. AWS redesigned the storage layer for the cloud, which gives higher throughput and faster failover than the standard engines, with the same drivers and tools.

### Key concepts

- **Cluster**: one **writer** instance and up to 15 **reader** instances that share the same storage volume. A *cluster endpoint* always points to the writer, and a *reader endpoint* load-balances the readers.
- **Shared, distributed storage**: grows automatically in 10 GB steps (up to 128 TiB) and keeps **six copies** of the data across **three Availability Zones**. Failover to a reader normally takes under a minute.
- **Aurora Serverless v2**: capacity that scales up and down in fine steps, measured in Aurora Capacity Units (ACUs).
- **Aurora Global Database**: replicates a cluster to other Regions with low latency, for disaster recovery and local reads.
- **Backups** are continuous and allow point-in-time recovery; **Backtrack** (MySQL) rewinds the database without a restore; **clones** create copies quickly.
- Runs in [subnets](https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-subnets/) of a [VPC](https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-vpc/) with a DB subnet group, protected with [security groups](https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-security-groups/) and encrypted with [KMS](https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-kms/). The master password can be managed in [Secrets Manager](https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-secrets-manager/).

### Aurora or RDS?

Use standard RDS (MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server) for simple or small databases and when you need an engine that Aurora does not offer. Aurora costs more per instance but offers better availability and scalability for demanding workloads.

### Pricing

Per instance hour (or per ACU hour with Serverless v2), plus storage, I/O (or the I/O-Optimized configuration), backups and data transfer. See the [Aurora pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/rds/aurora/pricing/).

### With Terraform

The resources are `aws_rds_cluster`, `aws_rds_cluster_instance`, `aws_rds_cluster_parameter_group` and `aws_db_subnet_group`.

See tutorials:

-   [AWS with Terraform: The Essential Guide (13/21) – AWS RDS](https://www.itwonderlab.com/aws-terraform-tutorial-aws-rds/)