RDS supported engines in AWS - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Amazon RDS lets you run databases in the cloud without managing hardware. It supports several popular database engines so you can pick the one that fits your needs.

When you want to run a MySQL database without setting up servers.

When you need a PostgreSQL database managed by AWS for easier backups.

When you want to use Oracle database features but avoid hardware maintenance.

When you prefer SQL Server for your applications but want cloud scalability.

When you want a fast, scalable NoSQL database using Amazon Aurora.

Commands

This command lists all the database engines supported by Amazon RDS so you can see your options.

Terminal

aws rds describe-db-engine-versions --query 'DBEngineVersions[].Engine' --output text | sort | uniq

Expected Output

aurora

aurora-mysql

aurora-postgresql

mariadb

mysql

oracle-ee

oracle-se2

postgres

sqlserver-ee

sqlserver-se

sqlserver-ex

sqlserver-web

→

--query - Filters the output to show only the engine names.

→

--output - Formats the output as plain text for easy reading.

This command shows the latest version available for the MySQL engine in RDS.

Terminal

aws rds describe-db-engine-versions --engine mysql --query 'DBEngineVersions[0].EngineVersion' --output text

Expected Output

8.0.28

→

--engine - Specifies which database engine to check.

→

--query - Selects the first engine version from the list.

Key Concept

Amazon RDS supports multiple database engines, letting you choose the best one for your application without managing servers.

Common Mistakes

Trying to create an RDS instance with an unsupported engine name.

AWS will reject the request because the engine name is invalid or misspelled.

Use the exact engine names listed by 'aws rds describe-db-engine-versions' command.

Assuming all engines support the same features and versions.

Each engine has different capabilities and version support, which affects compatibility.

Check engine-specific documentation and available versions before choosing.

Summary

Use 'aws rds describe-db-engine-versions' to list supported database engines.

Specify the engine name exactly when creating or managing RDS instances.

Check the latest engine versions to ensure compatibility with your application.