Global Active Database (GAD) instance groups connect ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances across regions for cross-region disaster recovery (DR) or multi-node read/write workloads. This topic describes how to create and delete a GAD instance group.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure that you have:
An ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that meets the requirements for the primary instance
(First-time GAD users) Authorized Data Transmission Service (DTS) to access cloud resources
If no qualifying instance exists in your target region, create an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance first.
Limitations
Requirements for the primary instance
The instance you designate as the primary instance must meet all of the following requirements:
| Requirement | Accepted values |
|---|---|
| Billing method | Subscription or pay-as-you-go |
| RDS edition | RDS High-availability Edition or RDS Cluster Edition |
| Database engine | MySQL 5.7 or MySQL 8.0 |
| Instance type | More than 2 cores and 4 GB memory |
| Storage capacity | More than 50 GB |
Regional requirements
Primary and secondary instances must be in different regions. The following regions support GAD:
Chinese mainland: China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Shenzhen), China (Guangzhou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Heyuan), China (Chengdu)
China (Hong Kong)
Regions outside China: Thailand (Bangkok), South Korea (Seoul), Philippines (Manila), Japan (Tokyo), Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), US (Silicon Valley), US (Virginia), Germany (Frankfurt), UK (London)
Instance group limits
An RDS instance can belong to only one GAD instance group at a time, either as the primary or secondary instance.
Each instance group supports one primary instance and up to four secondary instances.
Billing
GAD instance group costs include:
DTS data synchronization tasks: Charged as part of the GAD instance group fees.
New RDS instances: If you create a new instance as part of the group setup, that instance is charged separately. Using an existing instance incurs no additional charge for the instance itself.
For pricing details, see Billing rules.
Create a GAD instance group
Go to the Global Active Instances page and click Create Instance Group.
In the Create Global Active Instance Group dialog box, configure the following parameters:
Parameter Description Instance Group Name A descriptive name for the group. Must start with a letter or Chinese character; can contain digits, underscores ( _), and hyphens (-); must be 2–126 characters long.Instance Group Type Select based on your workload:
Disaster Recovery— For cross-region DR and DR drills. Supports primary/secondary switchovers and one-way or two-way data synchronization. Choose this type when you need failover capability or want to test DR readiness without affecting production.
LIve More— For cross-region multi-node read and write. Uses two-way data synchronization to handle high-concurrency read/write requests with low access latency across regions. Choose this type when you need active-active writes across regions.
Region Of Primary Instance The region where your primary instance is deployed. To use a different region, change the region selector at the top of the ApsaraDB RDS console. Primary Instance The RDS instance to use as the primary. If no qualifying instance exists in the selected region, click Create Primary Instance to go to the buy page. Click OK.
The instance group appears on the Global Active Instances page. To expand its coverage, add a secondary instance to the group.
Delete a GAD instance group
An instance group can only be deleted when it contains only the primary instance. Remove all secondary instances before proceeding. If Delete is dimmed, the group still contains a secondary instance — remove the secondary instance first.
Deleting an instance group and releasing the primary instance are separate operations:
| Operation | What it affects |
|---|---|
| Delete a GAD instance group | Removes the group configuration only. All instances remain running and their data is unchanged. |
| Release or unsubscribe from the primary instance | Moves the primary instance to the recycle bin, where it is deleted upon expiration. You must delete the instance group before you can release or unsubscribe from the primary instance. |
If the primary instance has overdue payments (pay-as-you-go) or non-renewal is enabled (subscription), the system automatically removes all instances from the group and releases the DTS synchronization task. Any secondary instance that was read-only is promoted to read/write after removal.
Steps:
Go to the Global Active Instances page.
Find the instance group and click Delete in the Actions column.
Read the confirmation message and click OK.
FAQ
Can I use a Serverless instance as the primary instance?
Direct selection is not supported — you cannot set a Serverless instance as the primary when creating an instance group. However, you can achieve this indirectly for Disaster Recovery groups:
Use the primary/secondary switchover feature to promote the Serverless instance to primary.
Forced primary/secondary switchover carries a risk of data loss. Proceed with caution.
RDS MySQL supports adding a Serverless instance as a secondary in both Disaster Recovery and LIve More groups.