RDS (Amazon Relational Database Service) supports Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR) backups and manual snapshots, each serving different purposes. Here’s how they compare:
RDS PITR Backups
- Automated: AWS automatically takes incremental backups of your RDS instance.
- Granular Recovery: You can restore to any second within the backup retention period (1–35 days).
- Storage Managed: AWS manages the storage and retention based on your settings.
- Continuous: Allows recovery from accidental deletions or modifications.
- Instance-Specific: PITR is tied to a specific instance and is deleted when the instance is deleted.
- Restoration Creates a New Instance: You cannot overwrite an existing database; instead, a new instance is created.
Manual Backups (Snapshots)
- User-Initiated: You must manually create these backups.
- No Expiry: Unlike PITR backups, manual snapshots are retained until explicitly deleted.
- Not Granular: Snapshots are full backups and do not support point-in-time recovery.
- Portable: Snapshots can be shared across AWS accounts and regions.
- Restoration Creates a New Instance: Similar to PITR, restoring a snapshot requires launching a new instance.
When to Use What?
| Scenario | Use PITR | Use Manual Snapshots |
|---|---|---|
| Accidental data loss (e.g., unintended DELETE or DROP command) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Disaster recovery planning | ✅ | ✅ |
| Long-term backups for compliance | ❌ | ✅ |
| Migrating databases to another AWS account or region | ❌ | ✅ |
| Creating a consistent backup before major updates | ❌ | ✅ |
| Restoring the database to a specific second in the past | ✅ | ❌ |
If your priority is continuous protection and quick recovery, PITR is the best choice. If you need long-term storage, portability, or cross-region sharing, manual snapshots are more suitable. Many organizations use both for a more comprehensive backup strategy.