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ApsaraDB RDS:Restore data across regions

Last Updated:Aug 25, 2026

If you have created a cross-region backup, you can use the backup files to restore data to a new or existing instance. The destination instance can be in the same region as the source instance or in the backup's destination region.

Prerequisites

You have created a cross-region backup.

Note

Usage notes

  • If the database proxy feature is enabled on the source instance and no privileged account is available, you may need to reset the new instance's password to connect to it.

  • Cross-region log backups are synchronized in near real time. The system scans for changes in local binary logs (binlogs) in the source region every 2 seconds and then incrementally uploads new logs to the destination region. Due to short delays in scanning and transmission, you might not be able to recover the most recent second of data in extreme cases, such as a complete region failure.

Restore data to a new instance

You can use the backup files of a source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to restore data to a new instance. This method is supported for instances that use Premium Local SSDs or cloud disks and does not affect source instance performance.

Premium Local SSDs

  1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  2. On the Cross-region Backup tab, click the Backup Instances tab. Then, click the source instance ID to go to the Cross-region Backup Recovery page.

  3. In the Actions column for the target backup set, click Restore.

  4. Select Restore to New Instance and click OK.

  5. On the Restore Instance page, configure the following parameters.

    Parameter

    Description

    Billing method

    • Subscription: A prepaid billing method suitable for long-term use. You pay upon instance creation, and it is more cost-effective than pay-as-you-go, offering greater discounts for longer subscription periods.

    • Pay-as-you-go: A postpaid, hourly-billed method ideal for short-term needs. You can release the instance at any time to save costs.

    Restoration mode

    • By backup set: Restores data from a specific backup set to the new instance.

    • By point in time: Restores data to the new instance from any point in time within the log backup retention period.

    By backup set

    If you set Restoration mode to By backup set, select the backup set to use for the restoration.

    Restoration time

    If you set Restoration mode to By point in time, specify the point in time to which you want to restore data.

    Note

    Both local and cross-region log backups can be used for a point-in-time restore.

    Region

    The region for the new instance.

    Deployment mode

    You can deploy the instance in a Single-zone Deployment or across Multi-zone Deployment:

    • Single-zone Deployment: The primary and secondary nodes are in the same zone.

    • Multi-zone Deployment (Recommended): The primary and secondary nodes are deployed in different zones for disaster recovery.

    Note

    • After the instance is created, you can view the information about the primary and secondary nodes on the Service Availability page.

    • Instances of Basic Edition support only single-zone deployment.

    Instance type

    Each instance type provides a specific allocation of CPU cores, memory, maximum connections, and maximum IOPS. For more information, see primary instance types.

    Storage capacity

    The storage space accommodates data, system files, binary log (binlog) files, and transaction files.

    Note

    Parameters such as the database engine, version, and edition are inherited from the source instance and cannot be changed.

  6. Click Next: Instance Configuration. Configure the network type and resource group for the instance by setting the following parameters.

    Category

    Description

    Network type

    • classic network: The traditional network type.

    • VPC (Recommended): A VPC is an isolated network that offers higher security and performance than a classic network. If you select this option, you must also specify a VPC and a vSwitch of Primary Node.

    Note

    Make sure that the ApsaraDB RDS instance and the ECS instance that you want to connect to are in the same network. If you select the VPC network type, they must be in the same VPC. Otherwise, they cannot communicate over the internal network.

    Resource group

    Resource groups allow you to manage your Alibaba Cloud resources in logical groups. This simplifies resource organization and permission management. You can select an existing resource group or create a new one. If you have no resource grouping requirements, select the Default Resource Group.

  7. Click Next: Confirm Order.

  8. Click Next: Confirm Order.

  9. (Optional) Log in to the new RDS instance and verify the data.

Cloud disks

  1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.

  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration.

  3. Click the Cross-region Backups tab and select a region from the Region of Backup Set drop-down list.

  4. In the Actions column of the target backup set, click Restore.

  5. On the Restore Instance page, configure the following parameters.

    Parameter

    Description

    Billing method

    • Subscription: A prepaid billing method suitable for long-term use. You pay upon instance creation, and it is more cost-effective than pay-as-you-go, offering greater discounts for longer subscription periods.

    • Pay-as-you-go: A postpaid, hourly-billed method ideal for short-term needs. You can release the instance at any time to save costs.

    Restoration mode

    • By backup set: Restores data from a specific backup set to the new instance.

    • By point in time: Restores data to the new instance from any point in time within the log backup retention period.

    By backup set

    If you set Restoration mode to By backup set, select the backup set to use for the restoration.

    Restoration time

    If you set Restoration mode to By point in time, specify the point in time to which you want to restore data.

    Note

    Both local and cross-region log backups can be used for a point-in-time restore.

    Region

    The region for the new instance.

    Zone of primary node

    An availability zone is an independent physical area within a region. All availability zones in a region are interconnected with low-latency links. You can create the ApsaraDB RDS instance and the ECS instance in the same availability zone or in different availability zones.

    Instance type

    Each instance type provides a specific allocation of CPU cores, memory, maximum connections, and maximum IOPS. For more information, see Primary instance types.

    Storage capacity

    The storage space accommodates data, system files, binary log (binlog) files, and transaction files.

  6. Click Next: Instance Configuration. Configure the network type and resource group for the instance by setting the following parameters.

    Category

    Description

    Network type

    • classic network: The traditional network type.

    • VPC (Recommended): A VPC is an isolated network that offers higher security and performance than a classic network. If you select this option, you must also specify a VPC and a vSwitch of Primary Node.

    Note

    Make sure that the ApsaraDB RDS instance and the ECS instance that you want to connect to are in the same network. If you select the VPC network type, they must be in the same VPC. Otherwise, they cannot communicate over the internal network.

    Resource group

    Resource groups allow you to manage your Alibaba Cloud resources in logical groups. This simplifies resource organization and permission management. You can select an existing resource group or create a new one. If you have no resource grouping requirements, select the Default Resource Group.

  7. Click Next: Confirm Order.

  8. Confirm the Parameter Configuration, select the Quantity and Duration (for subscription instances only), click Pay Now, and complete the payment.

    Note

    For subscription instances, we recommend that you select Auto-renewal. This saves you from the need to perform manual renewals and prevents service interruptions caused by overdue payments.

  9. (Optional) Log in to the new RDS instance and verify the data.

Restore data to an existing instance

Note
  • Cross-region restores to an existing instance are supported only for instances that use Premium Local SSDs.

  • To restore data to an existing instance across regions, you must first enable database and table-level backup for the instance and have at least one backup set available.

  1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  2. On the Cross-region Backup tab, click the Backup Instances tab. Then, click the source instance ID to go to the Cross-region Backup Recovery page.

  3. In the Actions column for the target backup set, click Restore.

  4. Select Restore to Existing Instance and click OK.

  5. In the dialog box that appears, configure the following parameters.

    Parameter

    Description

    Restoration mode

    • By backup set: Restores data from a specific backup set to the existing instance.

    • By point in time: Restores data to the existing instance from any point in time within the log backup retention period.

    Region

    The region where the destination instance is located.

    Destination Instance

    The target instance for the restoration.

    Databases and tables to restore

    Select the databases and tables to restore.

    Selected databases and tables

    Specify the names for the restored databases and tables. By default, the suffix _backup is added to the original names.

  6. Click OK.

Related documents

After you create an instance, you must configure a whitelist and create an account. If you want to connect to the instance over the internet, you must also apply for a public endpoint. Then, you can connect to the instance.

Related APIs

API

Description

Precheck a cross-region backup

Verifies that a cross-region backup set is available for a cross-region restore.

Restore data to a new instance across regions

Restores data to a new instance across regions.

Modify cross-region backup settings

Modifies the cross-region backup settings of an ApsaraDB RDS instance.

Query cross-region backup settings

Queries the cross-region backup settings.

Query a list of cross-region data backup files

Lists the cross-region data backup files.

Query a list of cross-region log backup files

Lists the cross-region log backup files.

Query available cross-region backup regions

Lists the available destination regions for cross-region backups from the current region.

Query the restorable time range for a cross-region backup

Queries the restorable time range of a backup file.

Query cross-region backup instances

Queries the cross-region backup settings for instances in the specified region.