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ApsaraDB RDS:[New features/New specifications] The general ESSD storage type is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances from June 20, 2024

Last Updated:Sep 16, 2026

As cloud computing becomes increasingly popular, ApsaraDB RDS is building more cost-competitive database services on top of the existing storage infrastructure. ApsaraDB RDS introduces general ESSDs, a new-generation storage architecture. This topic describes the concept, release date, features, and billing of general ESSDs.

Effective date

June 20, 2024

Features

General ESSDs are a new storage type supported by ApsaraDB RDS. In addition to full compatibility with ESSD features, general ESSDs support I/O burst, Buffer Pool Extension (BPE), and OSS-based data archiving.

  • Buffer Pool Extension (BPE)

    After you enable BPE, the buffer pool of the instance is extended to accelerate caching and improve the overall read and write performance of the RDS instance. In addition, BPE greatly reduces the impact of general ESSD I/O jitter on database operations to improve stability. This feature is suitable for scenarios in which you want to significantly improve the I/O performance of your instance without upgrading the instance specifications or modifying your business workloads. For more information, see Buffer Pool Extension (BPE).

  • I/O burst

    After you enable I/O burst, the IOPS of the cloud disk is no longer limited to the maximum IOPS. This way, higher I/O capabilities can be obtained during traffic peaks to meet the requirements of burst workloads. This feature is suitable for scenarios with high I/O loads or fluctuating I/O loads. For more information, see I/O performance burst.

  • Data archiving

    After you enable the data archiving OSS feature, infrequently accessed data can be moved to OSS. The data storage cost is reduced by 80% compared with ESSD PL1. This feature is suitable for instances that contain tables that are not frequently accessed or modified. For more information, see Data archiving.

Applicable scope

General ESSDs are supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use cloud disks.

Serverless ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances support only the I/O burst feature of general ESSDs.

Limits

Limit Details
Storage capacity range 10 GB–64,000 GB
Storage type change One-directional: you can change from ESSD to general ESSD, but not from general ESSD back to ESSD. See Change the storage type of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance from ESSD to general ESSD.
Important

Changing from ESSD to general ESSD is irreversible. Verify your workload requirements before switching.

Billing

Billing formula

The total fee for a general ESSD consists of four components:

General ESSD fee = Storage capacity fee + Burstable I/O operations fee + BPE fee + Data archiving OSS fee

For details about the fee of each feature, see:

Storage capacity fee

The storage capacity fee is the fee for the storage space of the RDS instance. Both subscription and pay-as-you-go billing methods are supported, and the billing rules are the same as those for ESSD PL1. For more information, see Billable items.

Pricing varies by region:

Pricing vs. PL1 ESSD Regions
Lower (up to 60% cheaper pay-as-you-go; up to 43% cheaper subscription) China (Hong Kong), Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), Thailand (Bangkok), Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), US (Silicon Valley), US (Virginia), Germany (Frankfurt), UK (London), UAE (Dubai)
Same China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), China (Shenzhen), China (Nantong), China (Qingdao), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Chengdu)

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