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    ApsaraDB RDS:Best practices for hot and cold data separation

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    ApsaraDB RDS:Best practices for hot and cold data separation

    Last Updated:Mar 28, 2026

    Hot and cold data separation lets you archive infrequently accessed databases to Object Storage Service (OSS) buckets while keeping active databases on cloud disks. This reduces storage costs without requiring application changes.

    When to use this feature:

    • Cost reduction — Your RDS instance holds historical or compliance data that must be retained but is rarely queried. Storing it in OSS costs less than keeping it on cloud disks.

    • Tiered access — Some databases are accessed daily; others are queried only for audits or reporting. Archiving the low-frequency databases lets you right-size storage for each workload.

    Note

    Hot and cold data separation is implemented on cloud disks. For background on storage types and data archiving principles, see Introduction and Archive data to an OSS bucket.

    Prerequisites

    Before you begin, make sure your RDS instance meets all of the following requirements:

    • Runs RDS Basic Edition

    • Uses the ESSD storage type

    • Uses the subscription or pay-as-you-go billing method (Serverless instances are not supported)

    • Does not reside in any of the following regions: Thailand (Bangkok), South Korea (Seoul), UK (London), or UAE (Dubai)

    For usage notes, limits, and billing rules, see Use the data archiving feature.

    Archive a database to cold storage

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

    2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Databases.

    3. Find the database to archive. Click More in the Actions column and select Convert Online Database to Cold Storage Database.

    4. Click OK, then refresh the page. When the database status changes from Running to Being Stored in Cold Storage, the conversion is in progress.

    Restore a cold storage database to online

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

    2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Databases.

    3. Find the cold storage database. Click More in the Actions column and select Convert Cold Storage Database to Online Database.

    4. Click OK, then refresh the page. The database is being restored to online status.

    Next steps