ApsaraDB RDS:Restore data across regions

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have:

• Cross-region backup enabled on the source instance. See Use the cross-region backup feature.

Limitations

Restore from a cross-region backup

1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select the region where your source instance resides.

2. On the Cross-region Backup tab, click the Backup Instances tab. Find the instance and click its ID.

3. Find the backup set to use, then click Restore in the Actions column.

4. In the confirmation dialog, click OK.

5. On the Restore Database page, configure the parameters described in the following table.

   The database engine, RDS edition, instance type, and storage type are pre-filled from the original instance and cannot be changed.

   Basic settings

   Parameter	Description
   Billing Method	Subscription: pay upfront for a fixed term — more cost-effective for long-term use. Pay-as-you-go: billed per hour based on actual usage — suitable for short-term or uncertain workloads.
   Restoration Mode	By Backup Set: restore from a specific full or incremental backup file. By Point in Time: restore to a specific timestamp within the log backup retention period.
   By Backup Set	The backup file to restore from. Appears only when Restoration Mode is set to By Backup Set.
   Restoration Time	The point in time to restore to. Appears only when Restoration Mode is set to By Point in Time.
   Database	Databases to restore. Select All to restore every database, or Some to specify a subset. When selecting Some, separate database names with commas — for example, TestDB1,TestDB2,TestDB3.
   Region	Pre-filled as the region where the cross-region backup files are stored. Cannot be changed.
   Cloud Disk Encryption	Available only when the original instance uses physical backup. Select the checkbox to encrypt data on each data disk of the new instance; ApsaraDB RDS uses its service key by default. If the original instance uses snapshot backup, cloud disk encryption is enabled automatically using the ApsaraDB RDS service key. Note Only ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances that run RDS Cluster Edition support cross-region snapshot backups. For more information, see RDS Cluster Edition and Use the snapshot backup feature.

   Deployment settings

   Parameter	Description
   Deployment Method	Single-zone Deployment: the primary and secondary nodes share the same zone. Multi-zone Development: the primary and secondary nodes are in different zones, providing zone-disaster recovery. For production workloads, choose Multi-zone Development. Configure Zone of Primary Node and Zone of Secondary Node separately. After the instance is created, view availability details on the Service Availability page. Note RDS Basic Edition supports single-zone deployment only.
   Instance Type	Select a Category (General-purpose, Dedicated, or Shared), then select the specific CPU, memory, and connection specifications. See Primary ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance types for available options.
   Storage Capacity	Storage for data files, system files, archived log files, and transaction files. Adjust in 5 GB increments. Available values vary by storage type and instance type.

   Instance type categories

   Category	Resources	Best for
   General-purpose	All allocated memory and I/O; shares CPU and storage with other general-purpose instances on the same host.	Cost-sensitive workloads with moderate performance requirements.
   Dedicated	All allocated CPU, memory, storage, and I/O. A dedicated host instance exclusively occupies all host resources. Not available for RDS Basic Edition.	High-performance, resource-sensitive workloads requiring isolation.
   Shared	Allocated memory and storage exclusively; shares CPU with other instances on the same host.	Light workloads where cost is the primary concern.

6. Click Next: Instance Configuration and configure the following parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Network Type	VPC (recommended): an isolated virtual private cloud (VPC) that provides higher security and better performance. Select the VPC and vSwitch of Primary Node. The RDS instance and any ECS instance you connect to must be in the same VPC. Classic Network: a traditional shared network.
   Resource Group	Assign the instance to an existing resource group or select Default Resource Group. Resource groups help manage resources and permissions in your Alibaba Cloud account.

7. Click Next: Confirm Order.

8. Review the parameters in the Parameters section. Configure Purchase Plan and Duration (required for subscription billing), accept the Terms of Service, click Pay Now, and complete payment.

   For subscription instances, select Auto-Renew Enabled to avoid service interruptions if a payment becomes overdue.

9. (Optional) Log on to the new instance and verify the restored data. See Connect to an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.

What's next

After the new instance is running, complete the following steps before connecting applications:

1. Configure access control: add your application server's IP address to the IP address whitelist, or attach a security group.

2. Create database accounts: see Create an account.

3. Apply for a public endpoint (if connecting over the Internet): see Apply for or release a public endpoint.

4. Connect to the instance: see Connect to an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.

API reference