Amazon RDS Reviews

Name: Amazon RDS
Brand: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Rating: 4.2 (53 reviews)

Vendor: Amazon Web Services (AWS)

4.2 out of 5

53 reviews
98% willing to recommend

438 followers

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What is Amazon RDS?

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) is a web service that makes it easier to set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud. It provides cost-efficient, resizeable capacity for an industry-standard relational database and manages common database administration tasks.

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Amazon RDS is the #1 ranked solution in top Database as a Service vendors. PeerSpot users give Amazon RDS an average rating of 8.4 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 53 most recent Amazon RDS reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 8.0. (The highest in the category). Amazon RDS is most commonly compared to Microsoft Azure SQL Database: Amazon RDS vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database. Amazon RDS is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 59% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 14% of all views.

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Featured reviews

Udhay Prakash Pethakamsetty

Data Engineer Manager at Capgemini

The product should support new databases. RocketDB is written in C++. It is useful when we work with Kafka. The product should support more databases and not just the standard four to five databases. It will help the users to explore new avenues and not be confined to the standard ones. The tool provides automatic backup, but the recovery is slow if something goes wrong. We need to wait for some time. If a failure happens, recovery takes some time. Meanwhile, we lose business. It would be great if it happens much faster. The cross-region replication settings are very complex. We need to do careful planning.

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Ramkumar Kolpurath

Co-Founder & CTO at Busofttech

I have seen some limitations in Amazon RDS when I try to use SSIS in an RDS world. I need an Active Directory enabled from a security perspective, which was a little painful and cost me extra. There are some advanced monitoring queries that we cannot execute because Amazon doesn't give admin privileges to the end users. We can create another supervisor, but we don't have real admin privileges. There are some limitations regarding some of the queries and the tools. We tried data replication, and a few features available in an enterprise SQL Server are disabled in the RDS world. We need to upgrade it to an enterprise version. Amazon RDS should improve its metrics a little more.

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Pankaj-Kankar

Seasoned CTO at Multiple Companies

The response time and the number of iterations required for the product's technical support could be improved. It could benefit from features that provide easier visibility into stale data and better recommendations for database optimization. Additionally, more seamless scalability, similar to what Google BigQuery offers, would be a valuable addition.

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Amazon RDS mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Amazon RDS in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category stands at 25.6%, down from 28.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Nov 23, 2024

Valuable Features

Key features of Amazon RDS include ease of database creation and management, automated backups, scalability, high availability through multi-zone deployment, versatility with multiple databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, data encryption, and security compliance. Users appreciate the simple setup, flexible scaling, and operational automation. Its intuitive interface aids efficiency, and integration with AWS services enhances performance monitoring and disaster recovery, reducing administrative burdens and optimizing cost.

"The scalability is the best, and I have no issues with the ability to scale."
"Amazon RDS fulfills PCI requirements, which is a valuable feature for us."
"Amazon RDS provides data encryption using services like KMS, crucial for securing high-sensitive data and meeting compliance requirements such as HIPAA or PCI DSS."

Room for Improvement

Amazon RDS migration is complex, and shell access is unavailable, hindering performance troubleshooting. Features are often disabled by default. Administrative tasks are challenging due to limited privileges. Enhanced support for diverse databases is needed. Costs can rise unexpectedly. Configuration and integration issues exist with Microsoft products. Improved performance monitoring and database management interfaces are necessary. Automatic restart policies may be inconvenient. Technical support needs enhancement, and documentation management could be clearer. Improved scalability and migration processes are desired.

"Amazon cannot guarantee the stability of some extensions, and there is a need for different extensions to meet PCI requirements."
"Amazon cannot guarantee the stability of some extensions, and there is a need for different extensions to meet PCI requirements."
"For improvements, Amazon RDS could work on more features for multi-availability zone deployment to enhance higher availability, and on simplifying migration for those transitioning from on-premises to cloud environments."

ROI

Amazon RDS offers a clear return on investment by eliminating the need for extensive infrastructure and DBA costs. Its pay-as-you-go model allows for scalable and cost-effective growth. Users noted savings from not scaling legacy infrastructure, with figures like an average ROI and some reaching 100%. Transitioning fully to Amazon RDS reduces DBA salaries and management time, making it a cost-effective option compared to on-premise solutions, despite AWS's rising expenses.

Pricing

Amazon RDS pricing is considered varied among users, with some finding it expensive and others appreciating cost-effectiveness due to its pay-as-you-go model. Users often encounter challenges with unpredictable costs when exceeding limits, although strategic provisioning and the use of open-source databases can mitigate expenses. The service reduces the need for additional staff and can offer cost benefits compared to on-premises solutions. While competitive, RDS pricing may require careful cost management to avoid unexpected charges.

"The cost is manageable because you can see the expense associated with each instance and utilize tools for tagging and cost control."
"The platform pricing is on the higher side, but given its capabilities and ease of use, it remains competitive."
"AWS is becoming pretty expensive because cheap or absolutely free services have become paid services. Amazon RDS is not an expensive product, but Amazon's ecosystem is becoming increasingly expensive."

Popular Use Cases

Amazon RDS is employed for database management in cloud environments, primarily used by developers for hosting applications. It supports various database engines, enabling migration from on-premises setups to AWS. Users benefit from automated management such as provisioning, backups, and patching, which reduces administrative work. RDS is popular for storing data securely, supporting multiple applications including e-commerce and fintech, and facilitating data warehousing, with features like high availability and scalability through read replicas and auto-scaling.

Service and Support

Amazon RDS support varies. Some users never needed assistance, while others found it prompt and helpful. However, many mentioned the expense and limitations of the support tiers, particularly for startups. Users noted that premium services offer better assistance. The support quality can vary geographically, with European support receiving praise. Some rely on documentation and forums to resolve issues independently. Response time and initial support quality have room for improvement.

Deployment

Amazon RDS's initial setup varies from straightforward to complex. Many find it simple, taking just minutes, especially with automation and clear documentation; some even rate it eight or nine out of ten for ease. However, others encounter complexities with security configurations, IAM, and unique setups like multi-account environments. Despite challenges, users generally appreciate quick deployment and minimal administrative tasks, with the setup facilitating seamless data management and integration.

Scalability

Amazon RDS is acclaimed for its scalability, consistently receiving high ratings. It efficiently handles a wide range of user demands, from small teams to thousands of users. Many companies appreciate RDS for its cloud-based and automated scaling capabilities, which simplify resource management. Some users note that while RDS is scalable, constraints exist depending on deployment size. Although generally seen as highly scalable, opinions vary on its versatility compared to other cloud solutions.

Stability

Amazon RDS stability is frequently praised, with users noting it as highly reliable, experiencing minimal bugs, crashes, or freezes. Many rate stability between seven to ten out of ten. Some report occasional issues resolved through backups and configurations. It's well-regarded across environments, with users appreciating features like multi-AZ setup and standby fail-over. Performance and uptime are often highlighted, and AWS infrastructure is considered robust for maintaining stability. Further improvements are suggested in some cases.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Amazon RDS Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.