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    ApsaraDB RDS:Download data backups and log backups

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    ApsaraDB RDS:Download data backups and log backups

    Last Updated:Mar 28, 2026

    ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server lets you download unencrypted data backups and log backups to use outside the cloud. Common use cases include:

    • Restoring data to a self-managed, on-premises SQL Server instance

    • Archiving backup files for long-term retention

    For information about how backup files are created, see Backup features.

    Limitations

    • RAM users with read-only access cannot download backup files. Grant the AliyunRDSFullAccess permission to the Resource Access Management (RAM) user to enable downloads. Read-only access (AliyunRDSReadOnlyAccess) is not sufficient.

    • Snapshot backups cannot be downloaded. Only physical backup sets are available for download. See snapshot backup for details.

    Billing

    Downloads over the internal network are free. Downloads over the Internet include a free quota of 500 GB per instance-month. Traffic beyond this quota is billed daily using pay-as-you-go pricing. See Network traffic fees for rates.

    To reduce Internet traffic costs, purchase a subscription network plan. Larger plans provide higher discounts.

    To track how much backup data your instance has downloaded over the Internet, go to the RDS Instances page, click the instance ID, and check Backup Downloads in the Instance Resources section on the Basic Information page.

    Choose a download method

    RDS for SQL Server provides two download options in the console:

    OptionWhat it downloadsBackup type supported
    Download Instance BackupThe entire backup set (all databases in the instance, or a single database from a manual backup)Full and incremental physical backup
    Download Database BackupA specific database extracted from an instance-level full physical backupFull physical backup only

    Use Download Instance Backup when you need the full instance backup or are working with incremental backups. Use Download Database Backup when you need the data for a single database and want to avoid downloading the entire instance backup.

    Download instance-level data backups

    This procedure downloads a full or incremental physical backup for the entire instance.

    1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region where your RDS instance resides. Find the instance and click its ID.

    2. In the navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration.

    3. On the Base Backups tab, click the Data Backup tab.

    4. Set a time range to filter backup sets. Find the target backup set and click Download Instance Backup in the Actions column.

      If Download Instance Backup is not available, check the Limitations section. If you plan to restore data to a point in time, select the backup set closest to your target recovery time. When combining a data backup with log backups for restoration, the log backup time range must start after the data backup and end at or before your target recovery time.

    5. In the dialog box, read the terms, select the confirmation checkbox, and click Download. Choose a URL based on your network setup: Download the backup using wget or curl. Third-party download tools may request the file multiple times, resulting in a downloaded size larger than the actual backup set and additional Internet traffic charges.

      • Internal URL — Use this option when your Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance and RDS instance are in the same region and virtual private cloud (VPC). This is faster, more secure, and avoids Internet traffic charges.

      • Public URL — Use this option when you cannot access the RDS instance over the internal network.

    Downloaded files

    FileDescription
    <database_name>.bakFull or incremental backup file of the database
    backupinfo.jsonPhysical file distribution information of the database
    msdb_job.iniBackup information for jobs in the instance
    sqlserver_logins.iniBackup information for logins in the instance

    Download a single-database backup

    This procedure downloads the backup data for a specific database, split from an instance-level full physical backup set.

    1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region where your RDS instance resides. Find the instance and click its ID.

    2. In the navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration.

    3. On the Base Backups tab, click the Data Backup tab.

    4. Set a time range to filter backup sets. Find the target full physical backup set and click Download Database Backup in the Actions column.

      This option is available only for full physical backup sets, not incremental backup sets.

    5. On the Download Database Backup page, click Download in the Actions column for the database you want.

      If Download is not available, check the Limitations section, or verify that your account has the DescribeDownloadLinkDetails permission.

    6. In the dialog box, read the terms, select the confirmation checkbox, and click Download. Choose a URL based on your network setup: Download the backup using wget or curl to avoid duplicate download requests and excess traffic charges.

      • Internal URL — Use this option when your ECS instance and RDS instance are in the same region and VPC. This is faster, more secure, and avoids Internet traffic charges.

      • Public URL — Use this option when you cannot access the RDS instance over the internal network.

    The downloaded files are the same as those described in Downloaded files.

    Download log backups

    Log backups are used together with data backups to restore a database to a specific point in time. Download the log backup files that cover the period between your chosen data backup and your target recovery time.

    1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region where your RDS instance resides. Find the instance and click its ID.

    2. In the navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration.

    3. On the Base Backups tab, click the Log Backup tab.

    4. Set a time range to filter log backup sets. Find the target log backup set and click Download in the Actions column.

      If Download is not available, check the Limitations section. The log backup time range must start after your chosen data backup and end at or before your target recovery time.

    5. In the dialog box, read the terms, select the confirmation checkbox, and click Download. Choose a URL based on your network setup: Download the backup using wget or curl to avoid duplicate download requests and excess traffic charges.

      • Internal URL — Use this option when your ECS instance and RDS instance are in the same region and VPC. This is faster, more secure, and avoids Internet traffic charges.

      • Public URL — Use this option when you cannot access the RDS instance over the internal network.

    What's next

    After downloading your backup files, restore the data to a self-managed SQL Server instance using one of these methods:

    FAQ

    What is the difference between Download Instance Backup and Download Database Backup?

    The key difference is the scope of data:

    • Download Instance Backup downloads a complete backup set. Depending on how the backup was created, this may contain all databases in the instance or a single database from a manual backup. Both full and incremental physical backups are supported.

    • Download Database Backup is provided by Data Disaster Recovery. It splits an instance-level full physical backup and lets you download the data for a specific database, without downloading the entire backup set. Incremental backups are not supported.

    The availability of the download feature depends on the options that are displayed in the console.

    References