RDS is (more or less) standard database products running on the AWS cloud hardware. Aurora is Amazon's custom fork of those products with a storage layer optimized for their cloud architecture. For a school project you aren't going to need any of the scalability that Aurora provides. You likely will want to choose something from the RDS free tier: https://aws.amazon.com/rds/free (And MySQL or PostgreSQL will likely be your best options available from that offering) Answer from jakdak on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/aws › aurora vs rds, what's the difference?
r/aws on Reddit: Aurora vs RDS, what's the difference?
February 1, 2019 -
I'm working on a project for school and it involves using an ASP.Net stack. I've opted for ASP.Net Core so I can run it in Linux, which I'm familiar with. Part of the stack requires a database.
What is the difference between Aurora and RDS and which should I use to store a very basic SQL database for our project?
Top answer 1 of 8
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RDS is (more or less) standard database products running on the AWS cloud hardware. Aurora is Amazon's custom fork of those products with a storage layer optimized for their cloud architecture. For a school project you aren't going to need any of the scalability that Aurora provides. You likely will want to choose something from the RDS free tier: https://aws.amazon.com/rds/free (And MySQL or PostgreSQL will likely be your best options available from that offering)
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I know we’re in r/aws , but you could do this for free at azure all under a student account . They offer hosted sql server db and website hosting with continuous deployment via git (and other methods) baked in.
Aurora Data API vs RDS proxy ? Which one to choose for `serverless` and why ? Jan 8, 2020
r/aws 6y ago
A little bit of branding in the UI noticed today - "RDS" is now "Aurora and RDS" Mar 5, 2025
r/aws last yr.
AWS
aws.amazon.com › what is cloud computing? › databases › compare amazon aurora and amazon rds
Differences between Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS - AWS
2 weeks ago - Compare Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS side by side. Aurora offers up to 5x MySQL performance with cloud-native architecture; RDS provides familiar engines with managed infrastructure. See features, pricing, use cases, and expert guidance to choose the right AWS relational database.
RDS vs Aurora big price difference
Hello, PM for Amazon RDS and Aurora here. We recommend Amazon Aurora Serverless for bursty workloads that spike up/down frequently. Think an e-commerce website which gets a lot of traffic on weekends and nothing on weekdays. Our customers love not having to scale the database to account for the surge or drop in traffic. Amazon RDS and "regular" Amazon Aurora are for workloads that need sustained throughput. Think a search website which gets traffic throughout the day/week etc. Hope that helps! More on reddit.com
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May 10, 2020Aurora vs Aurora Serverless for startup
At Amazon, they refer to decisions as "one-way" or "two-way" - if it's hard to move from one to the other, it's a "one-way" decision. This is one where it's more of a "two-way" decision, you can try something, see how it feels, and migrate if needed. Personally, I would start with serverless, and if it meets your needs, stick with it until it doesn't. More on reddit.com
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February 24, 2023Considering Moving MySQL DB from AWS RDS to AWS Aurora For Better Performance & Efficiency
You could setup data replication between existing RDS instance and the new Aurora DB. Then benchmark a few queries. Let us know what you find out. More on reddit.com
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January 31, 2024AWS Postgres RDS vs Aurora PostgreSQL?
I'm currently using Aurora Serverless. The scalability is neat feature for a non-global workload. More on reddit.com
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March 28, 202201:37
AWS RDS vs Aurora (2026) - Which One Is BETTER? - YouTube
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AWS MySQL Aurora Vs RDS - What one should I chose? - YouTube
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AWS Postgres Aurora Vs RDS - What one should I chose? - YouTube
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Aurora vs RDS PostgreSQL: How We Cut Database Costs by 62.5% - YouTube
03:51
What Is The Difference Between Amazon RDS And Aurora? - Next LVL ...
Amazon Web Services
docs.aws.amazon.com › amazon rds › user guide for aurora › what is amazon aurora?
What is Amazon Aurora? - Amazon Aurora
June 19, 2026 - Aurora is part of the managed database service Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS). Amazon RDS makes it easier to set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud. If you are not already familiar with Amazon RDS, see the Amazon Relational Database Service User Guide. To learn more about the variety of database options available on Amazon Web Services, see Choosing the right database for your organization on AWS...
Vantage
vantage.sh › blog › aws-rds-vs-aurora-pricing-in-depth
RDS vs Aurora: A Detailed Pricing Comparison | Vantage
September 12, 2024 - AWS has two main relational database services: Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and Amazon Aurora. Together, they account for a significant portion of AWS spend, consistently ranking second on the AWS Cost Leaderboard. Both services cover a wide range of use cases, often overlapping, yet the differences in performance, features, and pricing help determine which one is a better fit.
CloudZero
cloudzero.com › home › blog › aurora vs. rds: choosing the best aws database solution
Aurora Vs. RDS: Choosing The Best AWS Database Solution
May 15, 2026 - Aurora compute nodes handle queries and connect to the shared volume. Replication happens within storage — no need for data sync between compute nodes. That keeps operations smooth and eliminates stateful compute nodes.
Medium
medium.com › awesome-cloud › aws-difference-between-amazon-aurora-and-amazon-rds-60a69dbec41f
AWS — Difference between Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS | by Ashish Patel | Awesome Cloud | Medium
July 3, 2023 - Amazon Aurora is a fully managed MySQL- and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud that combines the performance and availability of traditional enterprise databases with the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of open source ...
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › devops › aws-rds-vs-aurora
AWS RDS vs Aurora: How to Choose the Right AWS Database Solution - GeeksforGeeks
June 26, 2026 - Query Optimization: Features Aurora Optimized Reads to deliver up to 8 times faster query latencies and up to a 30% reduction in database operational costs. The table below evaluates the primary technical, architectural, and financial differences between the two managed database services: The choice between AWS RDS and Amazon Aurora is governed by budget parameters, performance requirements, and engine dependencies.
DataCamp
datacamp.com › blog › rds-vs-aurora
Amazon RDS vs Aurora: Which is Right For Your Data Workload? | DataCamp
March 23, 2025 - It is compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL but offers improved throughput and reliability compared to standard RDS databases. Aurora achieves its performance by utilizing a distributed, multi-node architecture that automatically scales storage and provides failover capabilities with minimal ...
OneUptime
oneuptime.com › home › blog › amazon rds vs aurora vs self-hosted postgresql
Amazon RDS vs Aurora vs Self-Hosted PostgreSQL
January 21, 2026 - Many organizations start with RDS, move to Aurora for scaling, or self-host for specialized needs.
DBConvert blog
dbconvert.com › blog › aurora-vs-rds-2024
Aurora vs. RDS: How to Choose the Right AWS Database for 2024
February 24, 2025 - Comparing Amazon Aurora and RDS, AWS's fully managed relational database services. Highlighting key differences, Aurora is cloud-native with serverless support, while RDS offers superior customization and supports more database engines.
Bytebase
bytebase.com › blog › comparison › aws aurora vs. rds pricing: a detailed comparison 2025
AWS Aurora vs. RDS Pricing: A Detailed Comparison 2025 | Bytebase
May 9, 2025 - Choose based on workload needs: Aurora delivers premium performance with auto-scaling for dynamic, read-intensive applications, while RDS offers broader engine compatibility at lower costs for predictable workloads.
TigerData
tigerdata.com › blog › amazon-aurora-vs-rds-understanding-the-difference
Amazon Aurora vs. RDS: the Difference | Tiger Data
December 3, 2025 - Amazon’s focus for Aurora has generally been to offer ways to take advantage of native cloud capabilities. By doing so, AWS claims that Aurora has multiple times the throughput of the traditional databases they were based on. It also has features that RDS does not, including Aurora Serverless, Global Tables, and MySQL Backtrack.
AWS
docs.aws.amazon.com › rds
Amazon RDS and Aurora Documentation
Describes the PostgreSQL versions and extensions that are supported by Amazon RDS. Describes the Aurora MySQL versions that are supported by Amazon Aurora. Describes the Aurora PostgreSQL versions and extensions that are supported by Amazon Aurora. Find best practices for choosing the right AWS ...
DEV Community
dev.to › aws-builders › amazon-aurora-vs-rds-which-database-service-should-you-choose-48o9
Amazon Aurora vs RDS: Which Database Service Should You Choose? - DEV Community
February 22, 2025 - For enterprise-grade applications that demand fault tolerance, auto-scaling, and global distribution, Amazon Aurora is the clear winner despite its higher cost. ... 🚀 Passionate about tech & growth | 💻 Data Scientist & Frontend Dev | C, ...
AWS
aws.amazon.com › databases › amazon rds › amazon aurora
Managed Relational Database - Amazon Aurora - AWS
2 weeks ago - Amazon Aurora is a global-scale relational database service built for the cloud with full MySQL and PostgreSQL compatibility.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/aws › rds vs aurora big price difference
r/aws on Reddit: RDS vs Aurora big price difference
May 10, 2020 -
Difference between RDS and Aurora, when hosting Java application with PostgreSQL database.
Here i have my estimated pricing for using RDS. I suppose this is a separate server for actually hosting the database (hence the price) I found this alternative Aurora, which seemed a little bit better in regards to pricing.
This is much cheaper and also allows for almost the same amount of data (and up 1 million requests).
Can anyone explain to me the major differences in regards to these two services?
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Hello, PM for Amazon RDS and Aurora here. We recommend Amazon Aurora Serverless for bursty workloads that spike up/down frequently. Think an e-commerce website which gets a lot of traffic on weekends and nothing on weekdays. Our customers love not having to scale the database to account for the surge or drop in traffic. Amazon RDS and "regular" Amazon Aurora are for workloads that need sustained throughput. Think a search website which gets traffic throughout the day/week etc. Hope that helps!
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Aurora is more than just serverless. Serverless is good for bursting or dynamic workloads. Regular aurora gives you managed updates, scaling, separate data and compute plane, etc. It is way more managed than RDS
cloudkeeper
cloudkeeper.com › home › insights › blog › amazon rds vs amazon aurora: a comparative guide for cloud professionals
Amazon RDS vs Amazon Aurora: A Comparative Guide for Cloud Professionals | CloudKeeper
April 8, 2026 - It’s fully managed, but still feels familiar if you’ve worked with MySQL or Postgres before. Faster than traditional RDS Aurora can be up to 5x faster than standard MySQL and 3x faster than standard PostgreSQL — without you doing much.
Percona
percona.com › home › blog › aurora vs rds: how to choose the right aws database solution
Aurora vs RDS: How to Choose the Right AWS Database Solution - Percona
July 1, 2023 - If you are looking for a native HA solution, then you should use Aurora. For a read-intensive workload within an HA environment, Aurora is a perfect match. Combined with ProxySQL for RDS, you can get high flexibility.
Amazon
veritis.com › home › data › amazon aurora vs amazon rds comparison: which is the best database service?
Amazon Aurora Vs Amazon RDS : Which is the Best Database Service?
January 29, 2026 - Generally, the factors of workload, cost, and scale of the Amazon RDS VS Amazon Aurora kind of decisions come into play. In 2025, Amazon Aurora continues to demonstrate its dominance as the fastest growing relational database service, experiencing a robust 150% year over year growth rate in 2024, as highlighted in the AWS re:Invent 2024 keynote.
AWS
aws.amazon.com › blogs › database › is-amazon-rds-for-postgresql-or-amazon-aurora-postgresql-a-better-choice-for-me
Deep dive on Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL architecture and features | AWS Database Blog
April 29, 2026 - In this post, we delve into the ... of Aurora PostgreSQL and RDS PostgreSQL. We’ll analyze their performance, scalability, failover capabilities, storage options, high availability, and disaster recovery mechanisms. By understanding the strengths and limitations of each service, you’ll be better equipped to make an informed decision for your PostgreSQL deployment on AWS...