You can create an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console or by calling an operation. This topic describes how to create an RDS instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console.
Prerequisites
The AliyunRDSFullAccess and AliyunBSSOrderAccess policies are attached to the RAM user that you use to create an RDS instance. For more information, see Use RAM for resource authorization.
Procedure
Step 1: Basic Configurations
Configure the Billing Method parameter.
Billing Method
Description
Benefit
Subscription
A subscription instance is an instance for which you pay an upfront fee. If you want to use an instance for a long period of time, we recommend that you select the Subscription billing method. If you select the subscription billing method, configure the Duration parameter in the lower part of the page.
For long-term use, the subscription billing method is more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method. You are offered lower prices for longer subscription periods.
Pay-As-You-Go
You are charged on an hourly basis for a pay-as-you-go RDS instance based on your actual resource usage. If you want to use an RDS instance for a short period of time, we recommend that you select the Pay-As-You-Go billing method.
You can create a Pay-As-You-Go RDS instance. After you confirm that the created RDS instance meets your business requirements, you can change the billing method of the RDS instance from pay-as-you-go to subscription.
You can release a pay-as-you-go RDS instance based on your business requirements. The billing cycle of a pay-as-you-go RDS instance immediately stops after you release the RDS instance.
Serverless
Serverless RDS instances are a new deployment model for RDS instances. This deployment model allows you to scale CPU and memory resources in real time and allows pay-as-you-go billing for computing resources. We recommend that you select the Serverless billing method so that you can quickly and independently scale computing resources to respond to the computing requirements during peak hours.
If you select Serverless, you are charged based on your consumption of resources for workloads. This can help reduce costs.
NoteYou can view the price in the lower-right corner of the page. The price is displayed only after you configure all required parameters.
Configure the Region parameter.
You can select a region in which you want to create the RDS instance.
If you have purchased an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance and want the ECS instance to communicate with the RDS instance over an internal network, select the region in which the ECS instance resides. For more information, see What is ECS? If the RDS instance and the ECS instance reside in different regions, these instances cannot communicate over an internal network. In this case, these instances cannot deliver the optimal performance.
ImportantAfter an RDS instance is created, you cannot change the region of the RDS instance.
If your application is deployed on an on-premises server or computer, we recommend that you select a region that is in close proximity to the on-premises server or computer. This way, you can connect to the RDS instance from your application by using the public endpoint of the RDS instance.
Configure the Database Engine, Edition, Architecture, and Storage Type parameters.
Configure the Database Engine.
Select PostgreSQL. PostgreSQL 10, PostgreSQL 11, PostgreSQL 12, PostgreSQL 13, PostgreSQL 14, and PostgreSQL 15 are supported.
NoteApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL provides the Babelfish feature that is developed based on the Babelfish for PostgreSQL open source project. This feature enables your RDS instance that runs PostgreSQL 13 or PostgreSQL 14 to be compatible with Transact-SQL (T-SQL) statements. If you want to connect your SQL Server application or client to an RDS instance that runs PostgreSQL, we recommend that you select Enable Babelfish when you create the RDS instance. For more information, see Introduction to Babelfish.
Configure the Edition parameter.
Edition
Description
Benefit
Basic
In RDS Basic Edition, the database system consists of only one primary RDS instance.
RDS Basic Edition is cost-effective and is suitable for learning and testing scenarios.
NoteRDS instances that run RDS Basic Edition require a long period of time to restart or recover from faults.
High-availability
This is the recommended RDS edition. In RDS High-availability Edition, the database system consists of a primary RDS instance and a secondary RDS instance. The primary and secondary RDS instances work in high availability mode. You can create read-only RDS instances and attach the read-only RDS instances to the primary RDS instance.
RDS High-availability Edition is suitable for production environments and is suitable for more than 80% of business scenarios.
NoteThe valid values of the Edition parameter vary based on the values of the Region and Database Engine parameters that you specify.
For more information, see Overview of ApsaraDB RDS editions.
Configure the Architecture parameter. You can select X86 or ARM.
NoteFor more information about the x86 architecture and the ARM architecture, see Architectures.
Configure the Storage Type parameter.
Item
ESSD (recommended)
Local SSD (to be phased out)
Scalability
★★★★★
The storage capacity can reach up to 32 TB.
No transient connections occur during storage capacity expansion.
You can upgrade, downgrade, create, or release an RDS instance within minutes.
The automatic storage expansion is supported.
★★
You can increase the storage capacity up to 6 TB.
Transient connections occur during storage expansion.
A few hours may be required to upgrade, downgrade, create, or release an RDS instance.
Automatic storage expansion is not supported.
Performance icon
★★★★★
PL1<PL2<PL3
A performance level 2 (PL2) enhanced SSD (ESSD) delivers twice the IOPS and throughput of a PL1 ESSD.
An ESSD of PL3 delivers IOPS that is 20 times the IOPS delivered by an ESSD of PL1. An ESSD of PL3 also delivers throughput that is 11 times the throughput delivered by an ESSD of PL1.
★★★★★
Backup
★★★★★
A backup can be completed in minutes or seconds.
The highest backup frequency is once every 15 minutes.
★★★
A backup requires a long period of time to complete.
The highest backup frequency is once every day.
NoteThe valid values of the Storage Type parameter vary based on the values of the Database Engine and Edition parameters that you specify.
If you set the Edition parameter to High-availability and select the ESSD storage type, you can select Disk Encryption to enhance the security of your data. For more information, see Configure the cloud disk encryption feature for an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
For more information about storage types, see Storage types.
You can no longer purchase RDS instances that use local SSDs. For more information, see [Announcement] Local SSDs are no longer available for purchase for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances from September 01, 2023.
Select a zone for the RDS instance and configure the Deployment Method parameter.
Select a zone.
No significant differences exist between the zones in the same region.
If the RDS instance resides in the same zone as the ECS instance on which your application is deployed, these instances can deliver optimal performance. If the RDS instance and the ECS instance reside in different zones in the same region, the performance of the RDS instance and the ECS instance is slightly lower than the performance of the RDS instance and the ECS instance that reside in the same zone.
Configure the Deployment Method parameter.
Multi-zone Deployment: This is the recommended deployment method. The primary RDS instance and the secondary RDS instance reside in different zones of a region to provide cross-zone disaster recovery.
If you set the Deployment Method parameter to Multi-zone Deployment, you must configure the Zone of Primary Node and Zone of Secondary Node parameters.
Single-zone Deployment: The RDS instance and its secondary RDS instance reside in the same zone.
If you set the Edition parameter to Basic, only the Single-zone Deployment method is available.
NoteIf you use an RDS edition in which primary and secondary RDS instances are provisioned, such as RDS High-availability Edition, we recommend that you select Multi-zone Deployment to implement cross-zone disaster recovery.
If Sold Out appears in the upper-right corner of a zone name, this zone does not have sufficient resources. In this case, you must switch to another zone.
Configure the Instance Type parameter.
Configure the Category parameter. You can select General-purpose or Dedicated.
Category
Description
Benefit
General-purpose
A general-purpose RDS instance exclusively occupies the allocated memory and I/O resources.
A general-purpose RDS instance shares CPU and storage resources with the other general-purpose RDS instances that are deployed on the same host.
General-purpose RDS instances are cost-effective.
Dedicated
A dedicated RDS instance exclusively occupies the allocated CPU, memory, storage, and I/O resources.
NoteThe dedicated host instance family is the highest configuration of the dedicated instance family. A dedicated host RDS instance exclusively occupies all the CPU, memory, storage, and I/O resources of the host on which the RDS instance is deployed.
A dedicated RDS instance delivers higher performance and higher stability.
NoteAn RDS instance that runs RDS Basic Edition does not support the dedicated instance family.
Configure detailed specifications, such as the number of CPU cores, memory capacity, maximum number of connections, and maximum IOPS.
For a test environment, we recommend that you select an instance type that provides two or more CPU cores.
For a production environment, we recommend that you select an instance type that provides four or more CPU cores.
NoteFor more information, see Primary ApsaraDB RDS instance types.
Configure the Capacity parameter.
The value range of the storage capacity varies based on the instance type and storage type that you select. You can adjust the storage capacity at a step size of 5 GB.
Optional. If you set the Billing Method parameter to Subscription, configure the Duration parameter based on your business requirements.
In the lower-right corner of the page, click Next: Instance Configuration.
Step 2: Instance Configuration
Configure the Network Type parameter.
Set the Network Type parameter to VPC.
Configure the VPC and VSwitch of Primary Node parameters.
If you want to connect the RDS instance and an ECS instance by using the internal endpoint of the ECS instance, make sure that these instances reside in the same region and the same virtual private cloud (VPC). If the RDS instance and ECS instance reside in different regions or VPCs, you cannot connect the RDS instance and ECS instance over an internal network.
NoteYou can connect the RDS instance and the ECS instance over an internal network even if the instances use different vSwitches in the same VPC.
If you set the Deployment Method parameter to Multi-zone Deployment in the Basic Configurations step, you must also configure the VSwitch of Secondary Node parameter.
Configure the Add to Whitelist parameter to specify whether to add the CIDR block of the selected VPC to a whitelist of the RDS instance.
If you select Yes for the Add to Whitelist parameter, the ECS instances that reside in the selected VPC can access the RDS instance.
NoteIf you select No for the Add to Whitelist parameter, you can configure a whitelist after the RDS instance is created. For more information, see Configure an IP address whitelist for an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
Configure the Port parameter.
Valid values: 1000 to 5999. Default value: 5432. You can initialize the port when you create the RDS instance.
Configure the Parameter Template parameter.
If you set the Storage Type parameter to ESSD PL1, ESSD PL2, ESSD PL3, or General ESSD, you can specify a parameter template when you create the RDS instance. If you do not specify a parameter template, the default system parameter template is used. You can select a custom parameter template. For more information about how to create a custom parameter template, see Use a parameter template to configure the parameters of ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances.
Configure the Release Protection parameter.
If you set the Billing Method parameter to Pay-As-You-Go, you can select Release Protection to prevent the RDS instance from being released due to unintended operations. For more information, see Enable or disable the release protection feature for an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
Configure the Minor Version Upgrade Policy parameter.
If you set the Storage Type parameter to ESSD PL1, ESSD PL2, ESSD PL3, or General ESSD, you can specify a policy to update the minor engine version of the RDS instance when you create the RDS instance. The default value of the Minor Version Upgrade Policy parameter is Automatic Upgrade. If the minor engine version of your RDS instance is outdated, the system automatically delivers active O&M tasks to update the minor engine version from time to time. The system notifies you of the tasks by using methods such as emails and internal messages. The system automatically updates the minor engine version of your RDS instance within the maintenance window that you specified. For more information, see Set the maintenance window of an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
NoteAfter the RDS instance is created, you can go to the Basic Information page of the RDS instance to modify the value of the Minor Version Upgrade Policy parameter. For more information, see Update the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL allows you to specify a minor engine version when you create the RDS instance. If you do not specify a minor engine version, the latest version of AliPG is used by default.
Example:
rds_postgres_1400_20220830_14.4
The following list describes the fields in the preceding example:
rds
: the RDS instancepostgres
: the PostgreSQL database1400
: the major version of PostgreSQL, which is 14 in this example20220830
: the version of AliPG, which can be specified. The available minor engine versions are displayed on the ApsaraDB RDS buy page. For more information, see Release notes for AliPG.14.4
: the minor version of PostgreSQL
NoteIf you select Enable Babelfish in the Basic Configurations step, the minor engine version of the RDS instance is displayed in the following format:
rds_postgres_1400_20220630_babelfish_14.4
If your RDS instance runs PostgreSQL 13, you can select the AliPG version of 20220228 or later.
If your RDS instance runs PostgreSQL 14, you can select the AliPG version of 20220630 or later.
Configure the Resource Group parameter.
The resource group to which the RDS instance belongs. You can retain the default resource group or select a custom resource group based on your business requirements.
Optional. Configure Babelfish-related parameters.
The following parameters take effect only when you select Enable Babelfish in the Basic Configurations step.
Babelfish Migration Mode: the migration mode for the RDS instance for which Babelfish is enabled
single-db: You can create only one SQL Server database on an RDS instance for which Babelfish is enabled and create a standard PostgreSQL schema for the database.
multi-db: You can create multiple SQL Server databases and create different PostgreSQL schemas for the databases. You must name the schemas in the <Database name>_<Schema name> format to prevent name conflicts.
NoteFor more information, see Migration modes.
Initial Account: the username of the Babelfish management account that is used to connect to the RDS instance over the TDS port
ImportantThis account is a privileged account and cannot be deleted after it is created.
Password: the password of the Babelfish management account
NoteYou can change the password after the RDS instance is created. For more information, see Reset the password of an account on an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
Configure the Time Zone parameter.
You can configure the time zone when you create a primary RDS instance. You cannot configure the time zone when you create a read-only RDS instance. A read-only RDS instance inherits the time zone of its primary RDS instance.
You can configure this parameter only when the RDS instance uses cloud disks.
The time zone is not in UTC. For more information, see Common time zones for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances and ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances.
If you do not specify this parameter, the system assigns the default time zone of the region in which the RDS instance resides to the RDS instance. For more information, see Default time zones for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances.
Configure the SLR Authorization parameter.
If this is the first time you create an RDS instance after October 10, 2022, you must create the AliyunServiceRoleForRdsPgsqlOnEcs service-linked role (SLR) for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL. This way, your RDS instance can mount Elastic Network Interfaces (ENIs) and establish network connections.
NoteSLR authorization is required only the first time you create an RDS instance.
SLR authorization does not generate fees.
For more information about SLR authorization, see [Notice] SLR authorization is required to create an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance from October 10, 2022.
Optional. Configure the Privileged Account parameter.
You can create a privileged account when you create an RDS instance. If you select Later, you can create a privileged account after the RDS instance is created.
NoteFor more information about privileged accounts and how to create accounts, see Create a database and an account on an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
In the lower-right corner of the page, click Next: Confirm Order.
Step 3: Confirm Order
Confirm the configuration of the RDS instance in the Parameters section, configure the Purchase Plan and Duration parameters, read and select Terms of Service, and then click Pay Now to complete the payment. You must specify the Duration parameter only when you select the subscription billing method for the RDS instance.
NoteIf you select the subscription billing method for the RDS instance, we recommend that you select Auto-Renew Enabled. This way, you can prevent interruptions on your application even if you forget to renew the RDS instance.
View the new RDS instance.
Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance based on the Creation Time parameter.
NoteApsaraDB RDS requires 1 to 10 minutes to create an RDS instance. You can refresh the page to view the new RDS instance.
What to do next
Create a database and an account on an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance
FAQ
After I create an RDS instance, why does the ApsaraDB RDS console not respond and why am I unable to find the RDS instance?
Possible cause | Description | Suggestion |
Incorrect region | The RDS instance does not reside in the region that you selected. | In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, you can find the RDS instance. |
Insufficient resources | The zone that you selected cannot provide sufficient resources. If the RDS instance cannot be created, you can go to the Orders page in the Billing Management console to view the refunded fees. | Select a different zone and try again. |
RAM policies that do not allow users to create unencrypted RDS instances | RAM policies that do not allow users to create unencrypted RDS instances are attached to a RAM user.
For more information, see Use RAM policies to manage the permissions of RAM users on ApsaraDB RDS instances. | When you create an RDS instance, select the standard SSD or ESSD storage type, select Disk Encryption, set the Key parameter, and then try again. |
References
For more information about how to create an RDS instance by calling an operation, see Create an instance.
For more information about how to create an RDS instance that runs a different database engine, see the following topics: