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    ApsaraDB RDS:Create a cloud-based secondary database using RDS native replication

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    ApsaraDB RDS:Create a cloud-based secondary database using RDS native replication

    Last Updated:Dec 03, 2025

    ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL supports the creation of native replication instances. You can use these instances to build highly available, read-only secondary databases in the cloud for your self-managed MySQL databases. This topic describes how to create a native replication instance and configure a data replication link from a self-managed database to the RDS for MySQL native replication instance.

    Prerequisites

    • An RDS instance that supports native replication is required. You can either create a new one or upgrade an existing one. The instance must meet the following conditions, which you can view on the Basic Information page for the instance:

      • Database version: MySQL 5.7 (minor version 20240930 or later) or 8.0 (minor version 20250531 or later)

      • Product series: Basic Edition

      • Billing methods: subscription and pay-as-you-go

        Note

        To use a Serverless native replication instance, you must first create a pay-as-you-go instance, enable native replication, and then change the billing method to Serverless.

      • Supported regions: China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), China (Shenzhen), China (Guangzhou), and China (Chengdu)

        Important

        ApsaraDB RDS native replication is currently available only in the regions listed above. Support for other regions is being rolled out. If you need this feature in other regions, please submit a ticket.

    • You have created a privileged account for the RDS for MySQL instance.

    • You have established a network connection between the self-managed MySQL database and the RDS for MySQL instance. For more information, see Network configurations.

    Workflow overview

    The process of creating a cloud-based secondary database using RDS native replication involves three steps:

    1. Perform a full backup of the self-managed MySQL database.

    2. Import the full backup of the self-managed MySQL database into the RDS for MySQL native replication instance.

    3. Use MySQL commands to set up the replication link from the self-managed MySQL database to the RDS for MySQL native replication instance.

    Solution 1: XtraBackup stream backup, Object Storage Service, and data import to a native replication instance

    Advantages

    RDS for MySQL native replication instances are fully compatible with XtraBackup physical backups and support the following features:

    • Automatically detects the GTID in the backup file to align the offset for setting up the replication link.

    • You can upload backup files to Object Storage Service (OSS) and enable server-side encryption to ensure data security.

    • You can rebuild the native replication instance from a selected backup set, which helps resolve complex replication break issues.

    Billing

    • You are charged instance fees when you create a new instance with native replication enabled. Upgrading an existing instance to a native replication instance does not incur extra fees.

    • If you import full data by uploading a backup of your self-managed database to Object Storage Service (OSS), OSS storage fees are incurred for storing the backup file in OSS.

    Procedure

    1. Install XtraBackup and perform a backup on the self-managed database

      1. Install XtraBackup:

        Install on CentOS

        • MySQL 5.7

          wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4.29/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

        • MySQL 8.0

          wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0.35-31/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm

        Install on Ubuntu

        1. Install XtraBackup

          • MySQL 5.7

            wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4.29/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

          • MySQL 8.0

            wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0.35-31/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm

        2. Install qpress: Because XtraBackup installed on Ubuntu does not include qpress, you must install it separately.

          sudo apt-get install -y qpress

      2. Perform a backup:

        The following three compression methods are based on the XtraBackup command and are suitable for instances that primarily use the InnoDB engine. If your database contains MyISAM tables, use the innobackupex command.

        Method 1: Default qpress compression

        xtrabackup --backup \
  --host=127.0.0.1 \
  --port=3306 \
  --user=<user_of_self-managed_MySQL> \
  --password=<password> \
  --stream=xbstream \
  --compress > ./<backup_file_name_such_as_backup_1206.xb>

        Method 2: QuickLZ compression

        This method requires you to use XtraBackup version 8.0.34-29 or earlier. For more information, see the official Percona XtraBackup tutorial.

        xtrabackup --backup \
  --host=127.0.0.1 \
  --port=3306 \
  --user=<user_of_self-managed_MySQL> \
  --password=<password> \
  --stream=xbstream \
  --compress > ./<backup_file_name_such_as_backup_1206_qp.xb>

        Method 3: External ZSTD compression

        xtrabackup --backup \
  --host=127.0.0.1 \
  --port=3306 \
  --user=<user_of_self-managed_MySQL> \
  --password=<password> \
  --stream=xbstream \
  | zstd -q - > ./<backup_file_name_such_as_backup_1206.xb.zstd>

    2. Upload the self-managed database backup to OSS

      You can use different tools to upload backup files, such as ossutil or an OSS software development kit (SDK). This topic uses ossutil as an example.

      Important

      Ensure that the target OSS Bucket is in the same region as the RDS MySQL instance. Otherwise, RDS cannot retrieve the OSS backup file during the upload.

      1. Install ossutil.

        yum install -y unzip
sudo -v ; curl https://gosspublic.alicdn.com/ossutil/install.sh | sudo bash
ossutil config

      2. Upload the backup data to OSS.

        ossutil -e <OSS_Endpoint> -i <your_AccessKeyId> -k <your_AccessKeySecret> cp <backup_file_name> oss://<Bucket_name>/

    3. Import the backup file from OSS to RDS and automatically set up the replication link

      1. Go to the RDS Instances list, select a region, and click the ID of the target instance.

      2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Native Replication.

      3. On the Native Replication page, click Import Full Data, configure the parameters, and click OK.

        Configuration Category

        Parameter

        Description

        Backup Upload Method (Required)

        MySQL Version

        The system automatically displays 5.7 or 8.0. No configuration is required.

        Import Method

        Select Import from OSS.

        OSS Bucket

        Select the OSS Bucket where the backup file of the self-managed database is stored. For more information about OSS Buckets, see Upload files.

        OSS File Name

        Select the backup file for your self-built database from the OSS bucket. If the backup file is stored in a subdirectory of the OSS bucket, you must manually enter the full path to search. The following three backup file formats are supported:

        • An xbstream file directly generated by XtraBackup.

        • A _qp.xb file generated using the built-in quicklz compression of XtraBackup.

        • An xbstream file compressed with zstd (with the .xb.zst suffix).

        We recommend enabling automatic replication setup. The system will automatically set up the data replication link based on the following configuration. If you do not enable automatic replication setup, you must manually set up the replication link after importing the full data.

        Automatic Replication Link Configuration (Optional)

        Auto Replication Building

        Turn on the switch to automatically set up the replication relationship from the self-managed MySQL database to the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

        Source IP Address

        Enter the IP address of the source self-managed database.

        Source Port

        Enter the port number of the source self-managed database.

        Source Account

        Enter the account of the source self-managed database. The source account must have the REPLICATION CLIENT and REPLICATION SLAVE permissions.

        Account Password

        Enter the password for the account of the source self-managed database.

    4. View the replication status

      Return to the Native Replication page for the RDS instance to view the data replication link information. When the replication status is Running, the data replication link is established.

    Solution 2: XtraBackup stream backup, direct stream backup transfer, and data import to a native replication instance

    Advantages

    High usability with console-based operations and automatic replication link setup.

    Billing

    You are charged instance fees when you create a new instance with native replication enabled. Upgrading an existing instance to a native replication instance does not incur extra fees.

    Procedure

    1. Install XtraBackup and perform a backup on the self-managed database

      1. Install XtraBackup:

        Install on CentOS

        • MySQL 5.7

          wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4.29/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

        • MySQL 8.0

          wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0.35-31/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm

        Install on Ubuntu

        1. Install XtraBackup

          • MySQL 5.7

            wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4/Percona-XtraBackup-2.4.29/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-24-2.4.29-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

          • MySQL 8.0

            wget https://downloads.percona.com/downloads/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0/Percona-XtraBackup-8.0.35-31/binary/redhat/8/x86_64/percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm
yum localinstall percona-xtrabackup-80-8.0.35-31.1.el8.x86_64.rpm

        2. Install qpress: Because XtraBackup installed on Ubuntu does not include qpress, you must install it separately.

          sudo apt-get install -y qpress

      2. Perform a backup:

        The following three compression methods are based on the XtraBackup command and are suitable for instances that primarily use the InnoDB engine. If your database contains MyISAM tables, use the innobackupex command.

        Method 1: Default qpress compression

        xtrabackup --backup \
  --host=127.0.0.1 \
  --port=3306 \
  --user=<user_of_self-managed_MySQL> \
  --password=<password> \
  --stream=xbstream \
  --compress > ./<backup_file_name_such_as_backup_1206.xb>

        Method 2: QuickLZ compression

        This method requires you to use XtraBackup version 8.0.34-29 or earlier. For more information, see the official Percona XtraBackup tutorial.

        xtrabackup --backup \
  --host=127.0.0.1 \
  --port=3306 \
  --user=<user_of_self-managed_MySQL> \
  --password=<password> \
  --stream=xbstream \
  --compress > ./<backup_file_name_such_as_backup_1206_qp.xb>

        Method 3: External ZSTD compression

        xtrabackup --backup \
  --host=127.0.0.1 \
  --port=3306 \
  --user=<user_of_self-managed_MySQL> \
  --password=<password> \
  --stream=xbstream \
  | zstd -q - > ./<backup_file_name_such_as_backup_1206.xb.zstd>

    2. Transfer the self-managed database backup to RDS

      1. Install the backup-helper tool on the self-managed database and establish a backup transfer process

        # Install the backup-helper tool
wget -O backup-helper https://mysql-backup-helper.oss-cn-beijing.aliyuncs.com/v1.0.0-alpha/backup-helper && chmod +x backup-helper

# Establish a backup transfer process using the tool (Make sure MySQL is running in the environment and the corresponding version of XtraBackup is installed based on the self-managed database version)
./backup-helper --backup --mode=stream --host=<MySQL_IP> --port=<MySQL_port> --user=<MySQL_account> --password=<MySQL_password>

      2. Import data into RDS

        1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console, select a region at the top of the page, and click the instance ID.

        2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Native Replication.

        3. On the Native Replication page, click Import Full Data, configure the parameters, and click OK.

          Configuration Category

          Parameter

          Description

          Backup Upload Method (Required)

          MySQL Version

          The system automatically displays 5.7 or 8.0. No configuration is required.

          Import Method

          Select Direct Stream Backup.

          Source Backup IP Address

          Enter the IP address for the backup transfer.

          Source Backup Por

          Enter the port for the backup transfer. The default is 9999.

          We recommend enabling automatic replication setup. The system will automatically set up the data replication link based on the following configuration. If you do not enable automatic replication setup, you must manually set up the replication link after importing the full data.

          Automatic Replication Link Configuration (Optional)

          Auto Replication Building

          Turn on the switch to automatically set up the replication relationship from the self-managed MySQL database to the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

          Source IP Address

          Enter the IP address of the source self-managed database.

          Source Port

          Enter the port number of the source self-managed database.

          Source Account

          Enter the account of the source self-managed database. The source account must have the REPLICATION CLIENT and REPLICATION SLAVE permissions.

          Account Password

          Enter the password for the account of the source self-managed database.

    3. View the replication status

      Return to the Native Replication page for the RDS instance to view the data replication link information. When the replication status is Running, the data replication link is established.

    Solution 3: mysqldump logical backup, DMS data import, and SQL-based replication link setup

    Advantages

    High usability with console-based operations.

    Billing

    Creating a new RDS for MySQL instance incurs RDS instance fees and storage fees.

    Procedure

    1. Use mysqldump to perform a logical backup of the self-managed MySQL database and obtain the SQL file. The command is as follows:

      mysqldump --all-databases \
    --single-transaction \
    --order-by-primary \
    --set-gtid-purged=off \
    --master-data=2 \
    -u local_user \
    -p local_password \
    -h 127.0.0.1
    -P 3306 > data.sql

      • Because RDS for MySQL does not grant permissions to modify SET GTID_PURGED, enabling this parameter will cause SQL playback errors. Therefore, you must set set-gtid-purged=off in the command.

      • When you use mysqldump to set up a secondary database, add the --master-data=2 option. This option automatically generates a comment that contains the CHANGE MASTER TO statement. This makes it easy to retrieve the binary logging file name and position from the primary database without manually querying and entering the replication offset. For example:

        image.png

    2. Import the logical backup using DMS.

      1. Log on to the RDS for MySQL database using DMS (use a privileged account).

      2. Click the 2023-01-28_15-57-17.png icon in the upper-left corner of the DMS console and choose All Features > Database Development > Data Change > Data Import.

        Note

        If you are using the console in non-streamlined mode, choose Database Development > Data Change > Data Import from the top menu bar.

      3. On the Ticket Application page, select Large Data Import, specify the target RDS for MySQL database, and upload the logical backup SQL file. For more information about other configuration parameters, see Data Import.

    3. Run commands in DMS to set up the replication link.

      Important

      Importing a logical backup using DMS generates a separate binary log and GTID on the cloud-based secondary database. If you switch this secondary database to a primary node, these extra GTIDs might be replicated to other nodes and cause replication to break. To avoid this issue, take one of the following measures:

      • Before setting up replication, disable and then re-enable native replication. This operation runs RESET MASTER.

      • Insert empty transactions on other nodes in the replication topology to overwrite the redundant GTIDs. This acts as a placeholder.

      # Set up replication
CHANGE MASTER TO MASTER_HOST = '<source_host_IP>', MASTER_USER = '<replication_user>',MASTER_PASSWORD ='<replication_password>', MASTER_PORT = 3306,MASTER_LOG_FILE = '<binlog_file_name>',MASTER_LOG_POS = 190;
# Start replication
START SLAVE;
# Check replication status
SHOW SLAVE STATUS\G