Overview
Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) is AWS's managed relational database service – MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, Aurora. The Automize AWS RDS connector covers DB instance + Aurora cluster lifecycle, snapshots, parameter groups, subnet groups, and restore.
- Regions: RDS is regional. DB instances live in one region with Multi-AZ failover within the region.
- Plans: Pay-per-instance-hour + storage + IOPS. Free tier 750 hrs/month of db.t2.micro for new accounts.
Setting up the connection
Auth type: aws_sigv4.
- AWS Console → IAM → user with programmatic access.
- Attach AmazonRDSFullAccess (or scoped subset for least-privilege).
- In Automize, open Settings → Connectors → AWS RDS → Add connection. Paste keys + region.
Find your credentials at https://us-east-1.console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home.
Rate limits
Per-region API limits. Describe-* APIs ~10 TPS. Mutating APIs lower. Connector retries Throttling.
Data model
RDS primitives:
Region ─┬─ DB Instances (single-node engines: MySQL, Postgres, etc.)
│ ├─ Parameter Groups (config)
│ ├─ Subnet Groups (network)
│ └─ Manual + Automated Snapshots
└─ Aurora DB Clusters ── DB Instance(s) (readers + writer)Available operations
16 operations available. Click any row to jump to its detail.
| Operation | Category | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Create DB Cluster | General | Create an Aurora cluster |
| Create DB Instance | General | Create a new RDS instance |
| Create DB Snapshot | General | Create a manual snapshot |
| Delete DB Cluster | General | Delete an Aurora cluster |
| Delete DB Instance | General | Delete an RDS instance |
| Delete DB Snapshot | General | Delete a snapshot |
| Describe DB Clusters | General | List Aurora DB clusters |
| Describe DB Instances | General | List RDS database instances |
| Describe Parameter Groups | General | List DB parameter groups |
| Describe DB Snapshots | General | List DB snapshots |
| Describe Subnet Groups | General | List DB subnet groups |
| Modify DB Instance | General | Modify an RDS instance |
| Reboot DB Instance | General | Reboot an RDS instance |
| Restore from Snapshot | General | Restore an instance from a snapshot |
| Start DB Instance | General | Start a stopped RDS instance |
| Stop DB Instance | General | Stop an RDS instance |
Operations
Create DB Cluster
Create an Aurora cluster
No input parameters.
Tips
- Aurora-specific. Engine: aurora-mysql or aurora-postgresql. EngineMode: provisioned or serverless.
Create DB Instance
Create a new RDS instance
No input parameters.
Tips
- DBInstanceIdentifier + DBInstanceClass (e.g. db.t3.medium) + Engine + AllocatedStorage.
- MasterUsername + MasterUserPassword for non-IAM auth.
- VpcSecurityGroupIds[] + DBSubnetGroupName for VPC placement.
Create DB Snapshot
Create a manual snapshot
No input parameters.
Tips
- Manual snapshot – persists until you delete it (vs automated which respects retention).
Delete DB Cluster
Delete an Aurora cluster
No input parameters.
Tips
- Same SkipFinalSnapshot pattern as Delete DB Instance. Members must be deleted first.
Delete DB Instance
Delete an RDS instance
No input parameters.
Tips
- SkipFinalSnapshot=false (default) requires FinalDBSnapshotIdentifier.
- Skip for test/dev – but for prod always take a final snapshot.
Delete DB Snapshot
Delete a snapshot
No input parameters.
Tips
- Only manual snapshots. Automated snapshots are tied to instance retention.
Describe DB Clusters
List Aurora DB clusters
No input parameters.
Tips
- Aurora clusters. Returns cluster endpoint (writer) + reader endpoint.
Describe DB Instances
List RDS database instances
No input parameters.
Tips
- Filter by DBInstanceIdentifier, DBInstanceClass, Engine.
- Returns instance + endpoint + status (available, modifying, stopped, deleted).
Describe Parameter Groups
List DB parameter groups
No input parameters.
Tips
- Parameter groups define DB engine config (max_connections, etc.).
Describe DB Snapshots
List DB snapshots
No input parameters.
Tips
- Filter by DBInstanceIdentifier, SnapshotType (manual, automated, shared).
Describe Subnet Groups
List DB subnet groups
No input parameters.
Tips
- Subnet groups define which VPC subnets RDS can place instances in.
Modify DB Instance
Modify an RDS instance
No input parameters.
Tips
- ApplyImmediately=true forces immediate change (causes downtime). Default queues for next maintenance window.
Reboot DB Instance
Reboot an RDS instance
No input parameters.
Tips
- ForceFailover=true to test Multi-AZ failover.
Restore from Snapshot
Restore an instance from a snapshot
No input parameters.
Tips
- Creates a new instance from a snapshot. New endpoint – apps need to be repointed.
Start DB Instance
Start a stopped RDS instance
No input parameters.
Tips
- Restart a stopped instance.
Stop DB Instance
Stop an RDS instance
No input parameters.
Tips
- Stops compute for up to 7 days. Auto-restarts after 7 days.
FAQ
- Aurora vs RDS – which?
- Aurora is AWS's MySQL/Postgres-compatible distributed storage layer – 5x faster, auto-scales storage, better failover. Use Aurora unless you have a specific compat reason to use vanilla RDS (e.g. specific Postgres extension).
- Why does my Stop DB Instance fail?
- Multi-AZ instances can't be stopped (modify to single-AZ first). Read replicas can't be stopped. Aurora clusters use Stop DB Cluster instead.
- Final snapshot – best practice?
- Always take one for prod. Restore is your only path back if you delete by mistake. Snapshots cost storage but are cheap insurance.