Relational Database Service is a distributed relational database service provided by Web Services (AWS). [2] It is a web service that runs "in the cloud" and is designed to simplify the setup, operation, and scaling of relational databases used in applications. [3] Automate administrative processes such as managing database software patches, backing up databases, and enabling point-in-time recovery. [4] Scaling storage and compute resources can be performed with a single API call to the AWS control plane on demand. AWS does not provide SSH connections to the underlying virtual machines as part of the managed service.

Relational Database Services was first released on October 22, 2009, supporting MySQL databases. [1][6][7] followed by support for Oracle Database in June 2011,[8][9] Microsoft SQL Server in May 2012,[10] PostgreSQL in November 2013,[11] and MariaDB (a fork of MySQL) in October 2015,[12] and another 80 features in 2017. [13]

In November 2014, AWS announced Aurora, a MySQL-compatible database offering enhanced high availability and performance [14], and in October 2017, a PostgreSQL-compatible database product [15][ 13]. [16]

In March 2019, AWS announced support for PostgreSQL 11 in its relational database service,[17] five months after its general release.

New database instances can be launched from the AWS Management Console or by using the relational database service API. [18] Relational database services provide different capabilities to support different use cases. Some key features are: