ApsaraDB RDS supports two geo-disaster recovery strategies for self-managed database instances: real-time data synchronization via Data Transmission Service (DTS), and cross-region backup replication to a remote Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket. Choose the approach that matches your recovery requirements and database engine.
Choose a strategy
| Strategy | How it works | Supported engines | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DTS synchronization | Continuously replicates data from your self-managed instance to an RDS instance in real time | See DTS documentation for supported engines | Low data-loss tolerance; need an up-to-date replica ready for recovery |
| Cross-region backup | Automatically copies RDS backup files to an OSS bucket in a different region | ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL only | Cost-sensitive workloads that can tolerate some data loss |
DTS synchronization
Use DTS to synchronize data from a self-managed database instance—hosted in an on-premises data center or on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance—to an ApsaraDB RDS instance in any Alibaba Cloud region. Synchronization runs continuously in real time.
If the self-managed instance becomes unavailable due to unexpected exceptions such as data center damage, use the data backups stored in the RDS instance to restore operations.
To set up synchronization, see Configure a data synchronization task by using the new DTS console.
Cross-region backup
ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL automatically replicates backup files to an OSS bucket in a different region. You can use the cross-region backup files to manage and restore the RDS instance in the event of unexpected exceptions.
To enable cross-region backup, see Use the cross-region backup feature.