You can use the RDS console or APIs to create an RDS instance. For more information about instance pricing, see Pricing of ApsaraDB for RDS. This document describes how to use the RDS console to create an instance. For more information about how to use APIs to create an instance, see CreateDBInstance.

Prerequisites

  • You must have registered to an Alibaba Cloud account.
  • If you are creating a Pay-As-You-Go instance, make sure that your account balance is sufficient.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the RDS console.
  2. On the Instances page, click Create Instance.
  3. Select Subscription or Pay-As-You-Go. For more information about billing methods, see Billing items and billing methods.
  4. Select the instance configuration. The parameters are described as follows:
    • Basic configuration
      • Region and zone: Select the region and zone in which the instance is located. Some regions support both single-zone and multi-zone instances, while some regions support only single-zone instances.
        Note
        Products in different regions cannot intercommunicate through the intranet, and you cannot change the instance region after creating an instance. Therefore, special attention is required when you select the region.
      • Database engine: RDS supports MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and PPAS. Different database types are supported in different regions. Choose the database type according to the instructions on the RDS console.
      • Version: indicates the database version. Currently, RDS supports MySQL 5.5/5.6/5.7, SQL Server 2008 R2/2012, PostgreSQL 9.4, and PPAS 9.3. Different database versions are supported in different regions. Choose the database version according to the instructions on the RDS console.

        For the MySQL database, we recommend that you use MySQL 5.6 because it supports the TokuDB storage engine, which can save the storage cost by greatly reducing the space occupied by data files.

      • Series: RDS instances support the Basic Edition, High-availability Edition, and Finance Edition. Different database versions support different series. Choose the instance series according to the instructions on the RDS console.
    • Network type: RDS supports the classic network and virtual private cloud (VPC). A VPC needs to be created beforehand. Alternatively, you can change the network type after creating an instance. For more information, see Set network type.
    • Specifications: indicate the CPU and memory occupied by the instance, the number of connections, and the maximum IOPS. For more information about instance specifications, see Instance type list.
    • Storage: indicates space used by data, system files, binlog files, and transaction files.
    • Subscription time: indicates the duration of a Subscription instance.
    • Quantity: indicates the number of instances with the same configurations to be purchased.
  5. Click Buy Now to go to the Confirm Order page.
    Note
    To buy multiple instances with different configurations, click Add To List for each instance type and click Batch Purchase.
  6. Select Product Terms of Service and Service Level Notice and Terms of Use, and then:
    • Click Pay if the billing method of the instance is Subscription.
    • Click Activate if the billing method of the instance is Pay-As-You-Go.