Lesson 12 / 26

RDS Basics

A managed relational database that handles the operational chores.

What RDS manages for you

RDS (Relational Database Service) runs a relational database while AWS handles patching, backups, replication, and failover — you focus on schema and queries, not server upkeep.

Supported engines

RDS supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, and AWS's own Aurora (a faster, cloud-native MySQL/Postgres-compatible engine).

A serviced apartment

Self-hosting a database is owning a house — you fix the plumbing. RDS is a serviced apartment: someone else handles maintenance, and you just live (query) in it.