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    ApsaraDB RDS:Manage databases

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    ApsaraDB RDS:Manage databases

    Last Updated:Jun 04, 2026

    Manage databases on your ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance by using the console, SQL statements, or API operations.

    Prerequisites

    Before you begin:

    Create a database

    Use the ApsaraDB RDS console

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

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

    3. Click Create Database.

    4. Configure the following parameters.

      If the database name contains a hyphen (-), the system encodes the hyphen as @002d in the underlying folder name.
      Parameter Description
      Database Name The database name. Must be 2 to 64 characters, start with a letter, and end with a letter or digit. Can contain lowercase letters, digits, underscores (_), and hyphens (-). Must be unique within the instance.
      Supported Character Set The character set. utf8mb4 is recommended for most applications because it supports all Unicode characters.
      Authorized By Optional. The standard account to authorize on this database. Leave blank to assign permissions later. Only standard accounts are listed. The privileged account has full permissions on all databases by default.
      Description Optional. A description to help identify the database. Up to 256 characters.

    5. Click OK.

    Use SQL statements

    Connect to your RDS instance first. Use a client or the CLI to connect to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

    Run the following statement to create a database:

    CREATE DATABASE mydb;

    To specify a character set and collation:

    CREATE DATABASE mydb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;

    Delete a database

    Warning

    Deleting a database permanently removes all its data. This action cannot be undone.

    Use the ApsaraDB RDS console

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

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

    3. Find the database that you want to delete, and click Delete in the Actions column.

    4. In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.

    Use SQL statements

    Connect to the RDS instance, then run:

    DROP DATABASE mydb;

    Account types and privileges

    ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL provides two account types:

    Limits

    Resource Privileged account Standard account
    Maximum databases No limit. File system limits may apply. No limit. File system limits may apply.
    Maximum tables Less than 200,000 Less than 200,000
    Database names cannot be changed after creation. To use a different name, create a new database, migrate the data, and delete the old one.

    FAQ

    Why is my database missing from the Data Management (DMS) console?

    Common causes:

    • Your account does not have permissions on that database. Go to the Accounts page of the RDS instance to modify account permissions.

    • DMS has not synced the database metadata. Hover over the RDS instance in DMS and click the sync icon next to the instance name. You can also use the empty database initialization feature to sync database schemas.

    Why can't I create a database?

    Only privileged accounts and authorized standard accounts can create databases. If you use a standard account, ask the privileged account owner to grant permissions.

    API reference

    Operation Description
    CreateDatabase Creates a database on an RDS instance.
    DeleteDatabase Deletes a database from an RDS instance.

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