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ApsaraDB RDS:High-frequency physical backup

Last Updated:Dec 01, 2025

ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL provides a high-frequency physical backup feature that performs incremental backups. You can enable this feature to increase the backup frequency to as often as once per hour. This shortens the data loss window and helps ensure your data is up to date.

Prerequisites

  • Your RDS instance must meet the following requirements:

    • Major engine version: MySQL 5.6, 5.7, or 8.0

    • Edition: High-availability Edition

    • Storage type: Local SSD

    Note
    • To view this information, go to the Basic Information page of the instance.

    • If your RDS instance runs MySQL 8.0, the minor engine version must be 20220830 or later. For more information about how to update the minor engine version, see Update the minor engine version.

  • The instance is in one of the following regions: China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Nanjing-Local Region - Decommissioning), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Chengdu), China (Hong Kong), China (Fuzhou-Local Region - Decommissioning), Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), Thailand (Bangkok), Germany (Frankfurt), UK (London), US (Silicon Valley), or US (Virginia).

  • If this is the first time you are using the RDS backup feature, you must use your Alibaba Cloud account to grant permissions to AliyunServiceRoleForDBS, the service-linked role for Data Disaster Recovery (DBS). For more information, see Authorize the service-linked role for DBS.

Differences between enabling and disabling high-frequency physical backup

Item

High-frequency physical backup disabled

High-frequency physical backup enabled

Backup frequency

Up to once per day.

After enabling high-frequency physical backup, you can set the backup frequency to once every 1 to 12 hours.

Recovery time objective (RTO)

The recovery time increases with the amount of data generated since the last backup.

The RTO is shorter.

Recovery point objective (RPO)

If log backup is disabled, only full backup sets are generated. The RPO is limited to the point in time when a full backup was performed.

The RPO can be the point in time when a high-frequency physical backup was performed.

Backup set retention policy

A full backup set is automatically deleted after it expires.

If a full backup set expires, but the incremental backup sets that are based on it have not, the full backup set is not automatically deleted. The full backup set and its dependent incremental backup sets are deleted together only after all the incremental backup sets have expired.

Backup set deletion policy

You can delete a full backup set directly.

  • If you attempt to delete one or more incremental backup sets directly, the operation is ignored.

  • If you delete a full backup set, all incremental backup sets that depend on it are also deleted.

Usage notes

  • After you enable the high-frequency physical backup feature, a full backup is performed at the specified time. Then, incremental physical backups are performed at the specified frequency.

  • If the secondary instance is unavailable, high-frequency backups may fail.

  • Incremental physical backups are performed on the secondary instance. If the secondary instance is migrated or rebuilt, incremental physical backups cannot be performed on the new secondary instance until a full physical backup is complete. In this case, the system initiates a full physical backup to ensure data integrity.

  • Incremental backup sets that are generated by the high-frequency physical backup feature cannot be backed up across regions. Only full backup sets can be backed up across regions.

Fees

When you enable high-frequency physical backup, the system generates incremental physical backup sets. If the total backup size does not exceed your free quota, the backups are free of charge. If the total size exceeds the free quota, you are charged for the excess backup storage. For more information about billing, see Backup storage pricing.

Note
  • The size of an incremental physical backup set is typically much smaller than that of a full physical backup set.

  • The size of an incremental backup depends on the amount of data that is written and modified. A smaller amount of written data results in a smaller backup size.

Enable or disable high-frequency physical backup

  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 navigation pane on the left, click Backup and Restoration.

  3. On the Backup and Restoration page, click the Backup Strategy tab.

  4. In the Basic Backup section, click Edit. In the dialog box that appears, turn on the High-frequency Incremental Backup switch.

    Note
    • After you turn on High-frequency Incremental Backup, you can set the High-frequency Incremental Backup Frequency. The maximum frequency is once per hour.

    • This feature is available only for RDS instances that run MySQL 5.6, 5.7, or 8.0 on High-availability Edition and use local SSDs.

    • For more information about other parameters, see Automatic backup.

  5. Click OK.