This topic describes RDS Basic Edition.
RDS Basic Edition is an inexpensive database solution that features decoupled compute and storage resources. RDS Basic Edition instances are deployed in a standalone architecture.

The following figure shows a comparison between RDS Basic Edition and RDS High-availability Edition.

Benefits
Performance
The primary RDS instance does not need to replicate data to a secondary RDS instance. Therefore, no extra performance overheads are caused. When the same instance configuration is used, RDS Basic Edition provides higher performance than RDS High-availability Edition.
Reliability
- Compute resources are decoupled from storage resources. This can prevent data loss when compute nodes fail. Note For example, if you set the log backup frequency to Every 30 Minutes for an RDS Basic Edition instance that runs SQL Server, you can restore data to a specific point in time that is within the last 30 minutes when the database fails due to cloud disk failure or other factors. For more information, see Back up an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.
- The reliability of your database service is ensured by the ultra-large Apsara distributed operating system of Alibaba Cloud that keeps multiple copies of your data.
Costs
RDS Basic Edition costs around 50% less than RDS High-availability Edition.
Features
RDS Basic Edition provides basic features, like IP address whitelist, monitoring and alerting, and backup and restoration. RDS Basic Edition does not provide the following features:
- Primary/secondary switchover
- Log management
- Read-only RDS instancesNote During the daily use of ApsaraDB RDS, you may discover read-only RDS Basic Edition instances. They belong to your ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances of other RDS editions. Creation of read-only instances for RDS Basic Edition is not supported.
For more information about the features that are supported by RDS Basic Edition, see Overview of ApsaraDB RDS editions.
Scenarios
- Small-sized websites and applications
You can offload routine O&M tasks to Alibaba Cloud and focus on developing your applications.
- Individual use
RDS Basic Edition is suitable for first-time users who want to try out Alibaba Cloud's database offerings.
- Research and development (R&D) and testing
RDS Basic Edition features lightning-fast provision, allowing you to flexibly scale your database with your business requirements. This significantly improves R&D and testing efficiency.
Create an RDS Basic Edition instance
For more information about how to create RDS Basic Edition instances, see the following topics:
Get started with RDS Basic Edition
Upgrade the edition of an RDS instance from RDS Basic Edition to RDS High-availability Edition
FAQ
- Why do database engine upgrades or specification changes on RDS Basic Edition instances take a long time to complete?
RDS Basic Edition instances are deployed in a standalone architecture. When you upgrade the database engine or change the specifications of your RDS instance, ApsaraDB RDS checks whether the physical server on which the primary RDS instance resides can provide sufficient resources. If the physical server cannot provide sufficient resources, ApsaraDB RDS migrates the data of your database system to another physical server and switches your database service over to the new physical server. During the switch, you will lose connectivity to your RDS instance. In extreme circumstances, this interruption can last more than 30 minutes. We recommend that you select RDS Enterprise Edition or RDS Cluster Edition. These editions are based on the high-availability architecture. This architecture allows you to replicate data from the secondary RDS instance without impacts your workloads. This minimizes the downtime of your database system. For more information, see RDS High-availability Edition or RDS Cluster Edition.
- Why does RDS Basic Edition provide fewer features than the other editions? Which features are provided in RDS Basic Edition?
RDS Basic Edition provides only one primary RDS instance. Therefore, the features that are supported by RDS High-availability Edition and RDS Cluster Edition are unavailable in RDS Basic Edition. RDS Basic Edition is suitable in a small number of business scenarios. For more information about the features that are supported in RDS Basic Edition, see the following topics:
- Features of ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances
- Features of ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances
- Features of ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances
Note RDS Basic Edition is not supported by ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB instances.