# RDS vs Self-Managed Database — AWS

Source: https://www.geekswithgeeks.com/en/aws/aws-rds-vs-self-managed

> When to hand off operations, and when to keep full control.

## The tradeoff

A self-managed database on EC2 gives full control — custom extensions, exact tuning, root access — at the cost of doing your own patching, backups, and HA setup.

## Default to RDS

Choose RDS when database operations aren't your team's core differentiator — which is most teams. Reach for self-managed only when you need something RDS genuinely can't offer.

**Quiz:** A small team wants a Postgres database and has no dedicated DBA. What's usually the better starting choice?

- [ ] Self-manage Postgres on EC2
- [x] Use RDS for Postgres
- [ ] Avoid a database entirely

*Answer:* Use RDS for Postgres. Without dedicated ops expertise, a managed service like RDS removes patching, backup, and failover burden.