Aurora MySQL
- Docs: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/AuroraUserGuide/Aurora.AuroraMySQL.html
- Docs (llms.txt): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/AuroraUserGuide/llms.txt
- Data model: Relational (full MySQL)
- Query language: MySQL SQL
- Compatibility: Full MySQL
- Serverless: Yes
- Serverless type: Capacity — you create and manage a cluster, while compute scales automatically within the supported capacity range (currently up to 256 ACUs on supported engine and platform versions). Patching, upgrades, and maintenance remain a shared responsibility, consistent with standard Aurora MySQL
- Scale to zero: Conditional — requires an engine version that supports auto-pause and a minimum capacity of 0 ACUs; otherwise the minimum is 0.5 ACU. Enabled features and settings can require a higher effective floor or prevent auto-pause
- VPC required: Yes (no Express Configuration for MySQL)
- Multi-region: Global Database for disaster recovery
- Free Tier: new-account AWS Free Tier — $100 at sign-up plus up to $100 more ($200 total), usable across eligible services including Aurora for up to 12 months (per aws.amazon.com/rds/aurora/pricing). Note: the named "Free plan" 4-ACU/1-GiB-per-cluster allowance is documented for Aurora PostgreSQL serverless; MySQL workloads draw on the same credits
- Min cost: ~$0 with auto-pause; ~$45/month always-on at 0.5 ACU (compute only; storage billed separately)
- Time to first query: 10-15 min (VPC + cluster setup)
- Key features: Serverless, Global Database, I/O-Optimized, parallel query
- Migration tooling: Aurora MySQL power for Kiro (AI-assisted RDS MySQL → Aurora MySQL migration via the Kiro IDE; a migration aid, not an engine feature)
- Limitations: No Express Configuration, no pgvector equivalent
- Best for: Existing MySQL workloads, teams with MySQL expertise
- Not for: New apps without MySQL requirement