This topic describes how to create a PolarDB cluster by using the PolarDB for PostgreSQL console.

Prerequisites

An Alibaba Cloud account is created and is used to log on to the Alibaba Cloud Management Console. For more information, see Register and log on to an Alibaba Cloud account.

Background information

A cluster consists of one primary node and a maximum of 15 read-only nodes. To ensure high availability, at least one read-only node is required to implement the active-active architecture. A node is a virtual database server. You can create and manage multiple databases on a node.

Note
  • PolarDB for PostgreSQL supports only Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). Each VPC is an isolated network on Alibaba Cloud and is more secure than the classic network.
  • To optimize the performance of PolarDB, PolarDB clusters must be deployed within the same internal network as other Alibaba Cloud services. We recommend that you deploy PolarDB clusters and Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances in the same VPC to ensure the optimal performance of PolarDB. If your ECS instance is deployed in the classic network, you must migrate the ECS instance to a VPC.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the PolarDB console.
  2. In the upper-left corner of the page, click Create Cluster.
  3. Select Subscription or Pay-As-You-Go.
    Note
    • Subscription: If you select this billing method when you create the cluster, you must pay for compute nodes (a primary node and a read-only node) in advance. In addition, you are charged for the consumed storage resources on an hourly basis. The charge of storage resources is deducted from your account on an hourly basis. The Subscription billing method is more cost-effective than the Pay-As-You-Go billing method if you want to use the new cluster for a long period of time. You are offered larger discounts for longer subscription periods.
    • Pay-As-You-Go: If you select this billing method when you create the cluster, you do not need to pay in advance. You are charged for compute nodes and the consumed storage resources on an hourly basis. These charges are deducted from your account balance on an hourly basis. We recommend that you select the Pay-As-You-Go billing method for the short-term use. You can reduce costs by releasing the cluster based on your business requirements.
  4. Configure the parameters described in the following table.
    ParameterDescription
    RegionThe region in which you want to create a cluster. After the cluster is created, the region cannot be changed.
    Note Make sure that the PolarDB cluster and the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance to which you want to connect are deployed in the same region. Otherwise, the PolarDB cluster and the ECS instance can communicate only over the Internet, which degrades cluster performance.
    Creation MethodThe method used to create the PolarDB cluster.
    • Create Primary Cluster: creates a PolarDB cluster.
    • Restore from Recycle: creates a cluster by restoring a backup of a deleted cluster from the recycle bin.
      • Source Version: the version of the deleted cluster that you want to restore.
      • Deleted Clusters: the name of the deleted cluster that you want to restore.
      • Backup History: the backup that you want to restore.
    Note You can select other options to create databases of other engines.
    Primary ZoneThe primary zone in which the cluster is deployed.
    • A zone is an independent geographical location in a region. All zones in a region provide the same level of service performance.
    • You can deploy your PolarDB cluster and ECS instance in the same zone or in different zones.
    • You must specify only the primary zone. The system automatically selects a secondary zone.
    Network TypeThis parameter can be set only to VPC. You do not need to change this value.
    VPC

    VSwitch

    Make sure that the PolarDB cluster and the ECS instance to which you want to connect are deployed in the same VPC. Otherwise, the cluster and the ECS instance cannot communicate over a VPC, which degrades cluster performance.
    • If an existing VPC meets your network requirements, select the VPC. For example, if you have created an ECS instance and the VPC to which the ECS instance is connected meets your network requirements, select this VPC.
    • Otherwise, use the default VPC and the default vSwitch.
      • Default VPC:
        • Only one VPC is specified as the default VPC in the region that you select.
        • The default VPC uses a 16-bit subnet mask. For example, the CIDR block 172.31.0.0/16 provides up to 65,536 internal IP addresses.
        • The default VPC does not count towards the quota of VPCs that you can create on Alibaba Cloud.
      • Default vSwitch:
        • Only one vSwitch is specified as the default vSwitch in the zone that you select.
        • The default VPC uses a 20-bit subnet mask. For example, the CIDR block 172.16.0.0/20 provides up to 4,096 internal IP addresses.
        • The default vSwitch does not count towards the quota of vSwitches that you can create in a VPC.
    • If the default VPC and vSwitch cannot meet your business requirements, you can create your own VPC and vSwitch. For more information, see Create and manage a VPC.
    Compatibility
    • MySQL 8.0: fully compatible with MySQL 8.0. MySQL 8.0 supports parallel queries. In specific scenarios, the database performance increases by 10 times. For more information, see Overview.
    • MySQL 5.7: fully compatible with MySQL 5.7.
    • MySQL 5.6: fully compatible with MySQL 5.6.
    • PostgreSQL 11: fully compatible with PostgreSQL 11.
    • PostgreSQL 14: fully compatible with PostgreSQL 14.
    • Compatible with Oracle: highly compatible with Oracle. For more information, see Oracle compatibility.
    Note
    • PostgreSQL 11, PostgreSQL 14 and Compatible with Oracle are not supported in the following regions: China (Qingdao), US (Virginia), UK (London), and Australia (Sydney).
    • The PostgreSQL 14 version is in the public preview. To apply for a trial use, click here.
    EditionBy default, this parameter is set to Cluster Edition (2 to 16 Nodes) (Recommended).
    Specification TypeBy default, this parameter is set to Dedicated Specification.
    Node SpecificationSelect node specifications based on your requirements. All nodes in the PolarDB cluster are dedicated nodes with stable and reliable performance.

    For more information about compute node specifications, see Specifications and pricing.

    NodesIf the source cluster edition is Cluster Edition (2 to 16 Nodes) (Recommended), the system creates a primary node and a read-only node that have the same specifications. In this case, you do not need to specify this parameter.
    Note If the primary node fails, the system uses the read-only node as the primary node and creates another read-only node. For more information about read-only nodes, see Architecture.
    PolarProxy TypeBy default, this parameter is set to Dedicated Enterprise.
    Storage TypePolarDB supports the High-performance Edition and Standard Edition storage types.
    • PSL5: the storage types supported in the historical versions of PolarDB. It delivers higher performance, reliability and availability. This storage type is also called PSL5.
    • PSL4: A new storage type for PolarDB. PSL4 uses the Smart-SSD technology developed by Alibaba Cloud to compress and decompress data at the physical SSD disk level. This can minimize the storage price of data while keep a high disk performance.
    Note The storage type of existing clusters cannot be changed to Standard Edition. To use Standard Edition, we recommend that you purchase a new cluster, set the storage type to Standard Edition, and then migrate data to the new cluster.

    For more information about the two storage types, see Comparison between PSL4 and PSL5.

    Storage Billing MethodPolarDB supports the Pay-as-you-go and Subscription billing methods for the storage of your clusters.
    • Pay-as-you-go: The storage capacity is provided based on a serverless architecture. This way, you do not need to specify the storage capacity when you purchase clusters. The storage capacity of the clusters can be automatically scaled up as the volume of data increases. You are charged for the actual data volume.
    • Subscription: You must purchase a specific amount of storage capacity when you create the cluster.

    For more information about the two storage billing methods, see billing methods for the storage.

    Note When Product Type is set to Subscription, the Storage Billing Method parameter can be set to Pay-as-you-go or Subscription. When Product Type is set to Pay-as-you-go, the Storage Billing Method parameter is unavailable, and the storage is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.
    Storage CostThe storage cost. You do not need to configure this parameter. The system charges you on an hourly basis based on the amount of storage that is consumed by your data. For more information, see Specifications and pricing.
    Note You do not need to specify the storage capacity when you create a cluster. The system automatically scales storage resources based on data volume.
    Enable TDESpecifies whether to enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE). After TDE is enabled, PolarDB encrypts the data files of your cluster. You do not need to modify the code to allow access to your cluster. However, TDE reduces the performance of your cluster by 5% to 10%.
    Note TDE cannot be disabled after it is enabled.
    Cluster NameThe name of the cluster. The name must meet the following requirements:
    • It cannot start with http:// or https://.
    • It must be 2 to 256 characters in length.

    If this parameter is left empty, the system automatically generates a cluster name. You can change the cluster name after the cluster is created.

    Resource GroupSelect a resource group from the available resource groups. For more information, see Create a resource group.
    Note A resource group is a group of resources that belong to an Alibaba Cloud account. Resource groups allow you to manage these resources in a centralized manner. A resource belongs to only one resource group. For more information, see Use RAM to create and authorize resource groups.
  5. Specify the Quantity parameter and click Buy Now.
    Note You can create a maximum of 50 clusters at a time. This allows you to create multiple clusters in specific scenarios. For example, you can deploy multiple game servers at a time.
  6. On the Confirm Order page, confirm your order information. Read and accept the terms of service, and then click Buy Now.

What to do next

Set IP address whitelists for a cluster

Related API operations

OperationDescription
CreateDBClusterCreates a PolarDB cluster.
DescribeDBClustersQueries PolarDB clusters.
DescribeDBClusterAttributeQueries the detailed information about a specified PolarDB cluster.
DescribeAutoRenewAttributeQueries the auto-renewal of a specified subscription PolarDB cluster.
ModifyAutoRenewAttributeConfigures auto-renewal for a specified subscription PolarDB cluster.