aws-cloudformation-rds

---
name: aws-cloudformation-rds
description: Provides AWS CloudFormation patterns for Amazon RDS databases. Use when creating RDS instances (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Aurora), DB clusters, multi-AZ deployments, parameter groups, subnet groups, and implementing template structure with Parameters, Outputs, Mappings, Conditions, and cross-stack references.
license: MIT
---

# AWS CloudFormation RDS Database

## Overview

Create production-ready Amazon RDS infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation templates. Covers RDS instances (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Aurora), DB clusters, multi-AZ deployments, parameter groups, subnet groups, security groups, and cross-stack references.

## When to Use

- Creating RDS instances (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Aurora) or DB clusters with read replicas
- Setting up multi-AZ deployments or configuring parameter/subnet groups
- Integrating with Secrets Manager or implementing cross-stack references

## Quick Reference

| Component | CloudFormation Type | Use Case |
|-----------|-------------------|----------|
| DB Instance | `AWS::RDS::DBInstance` | Single database instance |
| DB Cluster | `AWS::RDS::DBCluster` | Aurora cluster |
| DB Subnet Group | `AWS::RDS::DBSubnetGroup` | VPC deployment |
| Parameter Group | `AWS::RDS::DBParameterGroup` | Database configuration |
| Security Group | `AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup` | Network access control |
| Secrets Manager | `AWS::SecretsManager::Secret` | Credential storage |

## Instructions

### Step 1 — Define Database Parameters

Use AWS-specific parameter types for validation.

```yaml
Parameters:
  DBInstanceClass:
    Type: AWS::RDS::DBInstance::InstanceType
    Default: db.t3.micro
    AllowedValues: [db.t3.micro, db.t3.small, db.t3.medium]

  Engine:
    Type: String
    Default: mysql
    AllowedValues: [mysql, postgres, aurora-mysql, aurora-postgresql]

  MasterUsername:
    Type: String
    Default: admin
    AllowedPattern: "^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9]*$"
    MinLength: 1
    MaxLength: 16

  MasterUserPassword:
    Type: String
    NoEcho: true
    MinLength: 8
    MaxLength: 41
```

See [template-structure.md](references/template-structure.md) for advanced parameter patterns, mappings, conditions, and cross-stack references.

### Step 2 — Create DB Subnet Group

Required for VPC deployment with subnets in different AZs.

```yaml
DBSubnetGroup:
  Type: AWS::RDS::DBSubnetGroup
  Properties:
    DBSubnetGroupDescription: Subnet group for RDS
    SubnetIds:
      - !Ref PrivateSubnet1
      - !Ref PrivateSubnet2
```

See [database-components.md](references/database-components.md) for parameter groups, option groups, and engine-specific configurations.

### Step 3 — Configure Security Group

Restrict access to application tier only.

```yaml
DBSecurityGroup:
  Type: AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup
  Properties:
    GroupDescription: Security group for RDS
    VpcId: !Ref VpcId
    SecurityGroupIngress:
      - IpProtocol: tcp
        FromPort: 3306
        ToPort: 3306
        SourceSecurityGroupId: !Ref AppSecurityGroup
```

See [security-secrets.md](references/security-secrets.md) for VPC security groups, encryption, Secrets Manager integration, and IAM authentication.

### Step 4 — Launch RDS Instance

Configure instance with subnet group, security group, and settings.

```yaml
DBInstance:
  Type: AWS::RDS::DBInstance
  Properties:
    DBInstanceIdentifier: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-mysql"
    DBInstanceClass: !Ref DBInstanceClass
    Engine: !Ref Engine
    MasterUsername: !Ref MasterUsername
    MasterUserPassword: !Ref MasterUserPassword
    AllocatedStorage: 20
    StorageType: gp3
    DBSubnetGroupName: !Ref DBSubnetGroup
    VPCSecurityGroups: [!Ref DBSecurityGroup]
    StorageEncrypted: true
    MultiAZ: true
    BackupRetentionPeriod: 7
    DeletionProtection: false
```

See [database-components.md](references/database-components.md) for MySQL, PostgreSQL, Aurora cluster configurations, and parameter groups.

### Step 5 — Enable High Availability

Configure multi-AZ deployment for production.

```yaml
Conditions:
  IsProduction: !Equals [!Ref Environment, production]

Resources:
  DBInstance:
    Type: AWS::RDS::DBInstance
    Properties:
      MultiAZ: !If [IsProduction, true, false]
      BackupRetentionPeriod: !If [IsProduction, 35, 7]
      DeletionProtection: !If [IsProduction, true, false]
      EnablePerformanceInsights: !If [IsProduction, true, false]
```

See [high-availability.md](references/high-availability.md) for multi-AZ deployments, read replicas, Aurora auto-scaling, enhanced monitoring, and disaster recovery.

### Step 6 — Define Outputs

Export connection details for application stacks.

```yaml
Outputs:
  DBInstanceEndpoint:
    Description: Database endpoint address
    Value: !GetAtt DBInstance.Endpoint.Address
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-DBEndpoint

  DBInstancePort:
    Description: Database port
    Value: !GetAtt DBInstance.Endpoint.Port
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-DBPort

  DBConnectionString:
    Description: Connection string
    Value: !Sub jdbc:mysql://${DBInstance.Endpoint.Address}:${DBInstance.Endpoint.Port}/${DBName}
```

See [template-structure.md](references/template-structure.md) for cross-stack reference patterns and import/export strategies.

### Validation Steps

Always validate before deploying, especially to production.

```bash
# Validate the template syntax
aws cloudformation validate-template --template-body file://template.yaml

# Review the change set before applying updates
aws cloudformation create-change-set \
  --stack-name my-rds-stack \
  --template-body file://template.yaml \
  --change-set-type UPDATE

aws cloudformation describe-change-set --change-set-name <arn>

# Execute the change set if the preview looks correct
aws cloudformation execute-change-set --change-set-name <arn>
```

## Best Practices

| Category | Practice | Implementation |
|----------|----------|----------------|
| Security | Encryption at rest | `StorageEncrypted: true` with KMS key |
| Security | Credential management | Use Secrets Manager integration |
| Security | Network isolation | Private subnets, restrictive SG rules |
| Security | IAM authentication | Enable `IAMDatabaseAuthentication` |
| HA | Multi-AZ deployment | `MultiAZ: true` for production |
| HA | Deletion protection | `DeletionProtection: true` for production |
| HA | Backup retention | 35 days for production, 7 for dev |
| HA | Read replicas | Use for read-heavy workloads |
| Cost | Storage type | Use `gp3` for cost efficiency |
| Cost | Instance sizing | Right-size based on workload |
| Cost | Serverless | Consider Aurora Serverless for variable loads |
| Operations | Change sets | Always review before applying updates |
| Operations | Drift detection | Enable for template compliance |
| Operations | Monitoring | Configure CloudWatch alarms |

See [operational-practices.md](references/operational-practices.md) for detailed guidance on stack policies, termination protection, and backup strategies.

## Examples

Complete production-ready RDS instance with MultiAZ, encryption, and Secrets Manager integration:

```yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Description: Production RDS Instance

Parameters:
  VpcId:
    Type: AWS::EC2::VPC::Identifier
  SubnetIds:
    Type: List<AWS::EC2::Subnet::Identifier>
  AppSecurityGroupId:
    Type: AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup::Id
  Environment:
    Type: String
    AllowedValues: [dev, staging, production]
  MasterUsername:
    Type: String
    Default: dbadmin

Conditions:
  IsProduction: !Equals [!Ref Environment, production]

Resources:
  DBSubnetGroup:
    Type: AWS::RDS::DBSubnetGroup
    Properties:
      DBSubnetGroupDescription: !Sub "${AWS::StackName} subnet group"
      SubnetIds: !Ref SubnetIds

  DBSecurityGroup:
    Type: AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup
    Properties:
      GroupDescription: !Sub "${AWS::StackName} RDS security group"
      VpcId: !Ref VpcId
      SecurityGroupIngress:
        - IpProtocol: tcp
          FromPort: 3306
          ToPort: 3306
          SourceSecurityGroupId: !Ref AppSecurityGroupId

  DBInstance:
    Type: AWS::RDS::DBInstance
    DeletionPolicy: Snapshot
    UpdateReplacePolicy: Snapshot
    Properties:
      DBInstanceIdentifier: !Sub "${AWS::StackName}-mysql"
      DBInstanceClass: db.t3.medium
      Engine: mysql
      EngineVersion: '8.0'
      MasterUsername: !Ref MasterUsername
      MasterUserPassword: !Ref MasterUserPassword
      AllocatedStorage: 50
      StorageType: gp3
      StorageEncrypted: true
      KmsKeyId: !Ref KmsKeyId
      DBSubnetGroupName: !Ref DBSubnetGroup
      VPCSecurityGroups: [!Ref DBSecurityGroup]
      MultiAZ: !If [IsProduction, true, false]
      BackupRetentionPeriod: !If [IsProduction, 35, 7]
      DeletionProtection: !If [IsProduction, true, false]
      EnablePerformanceInsights: !If [IsProduction, true, false]
      PerformanceInsightsRetentionPeriod: !If [IsProduction, 731, 7]

  KmsKeyId:
    Type: AWS::KMS::Key
    Condition: IsProduction
    Properties:
      Description: KMS key for RDS encryption
      EnableKeyRotation: true
      KeyPolicy:
        Version: '2012-10-17'
        Statement:
          - Sid: Enable IAM User Permissions
            Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              AWS: !Sub arn:aws:iam::${AWS::AccountId}:root
            Action: kms:*
            Resource: '*'

Outputs:
  DBEndpoint:
    Description: Database endpoint
    Value: !GetAtt DBInstance.Endpoint.Address
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-DBEndpoint
  DBPort:
    Description: Database port
    Value: !GetAtt DBInstance.Endpoint.Port
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-DBPort
```

See [examples.md](references/examples.md) for additional examples including Aurora clusters, read replicas, and multi-region setups.

## References

### Core Configuration
- **[template-structure.md](references/template-structure.md)** — Template sections, parameters, mappings, conditions, outputs, cross-stack references
- **[database-components.md](references/database-components.md)** — DB instances, clusters, parameter groups, subnet groups, Aurora configurations
- **[security-secrets.md](references/security-secrets.md)** — Security groups, encryption, Secrets Manager, IAM authentication
- **[high-availability.md](references/high-availability.md)** — Multi-AZ, read replicas, Aurora auto-scaling, disaster recovery

### Operational Guides
- **[operational-practices.md](references/operational-practices.md)** — Stack policies, termination protection, drift detection, change sets, monitoring
- **[constraints.md](references/constraints.md)** — Resource limits, operational constraints, security constraints, cost considerations

### Additional Resources
- **[examples.md](references/examples.md)** — Complete production-ready examples
- **[reference.md](references/reference.md)** — CloudFormation RDS resource reference

## Constraints and Warnings

### Resource Limits
- Maximum storage size varies by engine (up to 64 TB for MySQL/PostgreSQL)
- Maximum 500 resources per CloudFormation stack
- Parameter group limits vary by account/region

### Cost Considerations
- Multi-AZ deployments cost approximately double single-AZ
- Provisioned IOPS (io1) significantly increases costs
- Backup storage beyond free tier incurs monthly costs
- Manual snapshots incur storage costs even after instance deletion

### Security Constraints
- Master password cannot be retrieved after creation
- Encryption at rest cannot be disabled once enabled
- RDS instances must be in VPC (public access not recommended)
- Security group rules must restrict access to application tier

### Operational Constraints
- Certain modifications (engine version, storage type) require instance replacement with downtime
- Maintenance windows may cause brief service interruptions
- Read replicas may lag behind primary by seconds to minutes
- Not all database engines available in all regions

See [constraints.md](references/constraints.md) for complete constraints, troubleshooting guides, and performance considerations.