Starting June 11, 2025 (Singapore time), ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances on Basic Edition with dedicated instance types support SQL Server 2017 Enterprise Edition (EE), 2019 EE, and 2022 EE.
Basic Edition runs a single database node with no secondary node for hot backup. For production workloads that require high availability, use High-availability Edition or Cluster Edition instead.
Release date
June 11, 2025 (Singapore time)June 11, 2025 (Singapore time)
Supported regions
All regions
Use cases
This release is suited for simple scenarios:
| Scenario | Description |
|---|---|
| Personal learning | Explore SQL Server EE features without the cost of a high-availability setup. |
| Development and testing | Run integration tests against an EE-compatible database engine. |
| Small websites and applications | Host lightweight applications where single-node availability is acceptable. |
For workloads that require high availability, read/write splitting, or readable secondary databases, use High-availability Edition or Cluster Edition.
Supported instance types
The following dedicated instance types support SQL Server 2017 EE, 2019 EE, and 2022 EE on Basic Edition.
Instance type codes follow the pattern mssql.x{ratio}.{size}.e1, where x4 means 4 GB of memory per CPU core and x8 means 8 GB per core.
| Series | Instance type | CPU and memory |
|---|---|---|
| x4 (4 GB/core) | mssql.x4.medium.e1 | 2 cores, 8 GB |
| mssql.x4.large.e1 | 4 cores, 16 GB | |
| mssql.x4.xlarge.e1 | 8 cores, 32 GB | |
| mssql.x4.2xlarge.e1 | 16 cores, 64 GB | |
| mssql.x4.4xlarge.e1 | 32 cores, 128 GB | |
| mssql.x4.8xlarge.e1 | 64 cores, 256 GB | |
| x8 (8 GB/core) | mssql.x8.medium.e1 | 2 cores, 16 GB |
| mssql.x8.large.e1 | 4 cores, 32 GB | |
| mssql.x8.xlarge.e1 | 8 cores, 64 GB | |
| mssql.x8.2xlarge.e1 | 16 cores, 128 GB | |
| mssql.x8.4xlarge.e1 | 32 cores, 256 GB | |
| mssql.x8.8xlarge.e1 | 64 cores, 512 GB |
The table above reflects the supported instance types at release. For the latest availability, check the RDS buy page or refer to Specifications.
Purchase an instance
On the RDS buy page:
Set Engine version to 2017 EE, 2019 EE, or 2022 EE.
Set Instance edition to Basic Edition.
Set Instance family to Dedicated.
Configure the remaining parameters based on your requirements, then complete the payment.
For a full description of each parameter, see Create an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.
Upgrade to high-availability edition
If your workload requirements change and you need high availability, upgrade your instance from Basic Edition to Cluster Edition. Cluster Edition supports read/write splitting, readable secondary databases, and read-only instances for the primary instance. See Upgrade the major engine version and RDS edition of an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.
What's next
Feature differences between versions — Compare capabilities across SQL Server versions and RDS editions.
Features — Full list of features supported by each SQL Server version.
Instance family — Understand dedicated and shared instance families.
Specifications — All available instance types for RDS for SQL Server.