Amazon Aurora vs Amazon RDS

Developers should use Amazon Aurora when building cloud-native applications on AWS that require high-performance, scalable, and reliable relational databases, such as for e-commerce platforms, SaaS applications, or data-intensive workloads meets developers should use amazon rds when building applications that require a managed relational database with high availability, automated backups, and easy scalability, reducing operational overhead. Here's our take.

Amazon Aurora

Nice Pick

Developers should use Amazon Aurora when building cloud-native applications on AWS that require high-performance, scalable, and reliable relational databases, such as for e-commerce platforms, SaaS applications, or data-intensive workloads

Pros

• It is ideal for scenarios needing low-latency read replicas, automated failover, and integration with AWS services like Lambda or RDS Proxy, while reducing administrative overhead compared to self-managed databases
• Related to: mysql, postgresql

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Amazon RDS

Developers should use Amazon RDS when building applications that require a managed relational database with high availability, automated backups, and easy scalability, reducing operational overhead

Pros

• It is ideal for web applications, e-commerce platforms, and enterprise systems where database administration resources are limited or need to be optimized for cost and efficiency
• Related to: aws, mysql

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Amazon Aurora is a database while Amazon RDS is a platform. We picked Amazon Aurora based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Amazon Aurora wins

Based on overall popularity. Amazon Aurora is more widely used, but Amazon RDS excels in its own space.