How to Deploy PostgreSQL on AWS

How do I deploy and manage PostgreSQL on AWS?

Leverage AWS RDS or Aurora to quickly provision, secure, and scale PostgreSQL without managing servers.

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Description

Why run PostgreSQL on AWS?

AWS handles backups, patching, high availability, and read scaling so you focus on schema design and SQL logic, not server ops.

Which AWS services host Postgres?

Choose Amazon RDS for classic managed Postgres or Amazon Aurora for distributed storage and faster failover. Aurora is API-compatible with Postgres but delivers higher throughput.

How do I create an RDS Postgres instance with the AWS CLI?

Run aws rds create-db-instance specifying engine, version, size, subnet, and IAM auth if desired. Enable --multi-az for automatic failover.

Step-by-step AWS CLI

aws rds create-db-instance --db-instance-identifier myshop-prod \--db-instance-class db.m6i.large --engine postgres --engine-version 15.3 \--allocated-storage 100 --master-username admin --master-user-password S3cur3Pwd! \--db-subnet-group default --publicly-accessible --multi-az \--vpc-security-group-ids sg-0123456789abcdef

How do I connect from psql or Galaxy?

Retrieve the endpoint with aws rds describe-db-instances. Then run psql "host=myshop-prod.abc123.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com port=5432 dbname=postgres user=admin sslmode=require". Galaxy users paste the same string into the connection dialog.

How do I create e-commerce tables once connected?

CREATE TABLE Customers (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, email TEXT UNIQUE, created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW());CREATE TABLE Orders (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, customer_id INT REFERENCES Customers(id), order_date DATE, total_amount NUMERIC);CREATE TABLE Products (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, price NUMERIC, stock INT);CREATE TABLE OrderItems (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, order_id INT REFERENCES Orders(id), product_id INT REFERENCES Products(id), quantity INT);

How do I enable automated backups & point-in-time restore?

Set --backup-retention-period (1-35 days) and --copy-tags-to-snapshot during creation or with modify-db-instance. AWS stores continuous WAL so you can restore to any second within the window.

How do I scale storage or compute later?

Run aws rds modify-db-instance --db-instance-identifier myshop-prod --allocated-storage 200 or switch class with --db-instance-class. Most changes apply in place with minimal downtime.

How do I set up read replicas?

aws rds create-db-instance-read-replica --source-db-instance-identifier myshop-prod --db-instance-identifier myshop-ro1. Point read-only workloads (analytics, dashboards) here.

How do I monitor performance?

Use Amazon CloudWatch metrics (CPU, IOPS), Enhanced Monitoring for OS-level stats, and Performance Insights for query profiling. Set alarms to detect long-running queries.

Best practices checklist

• Enable encryption at rest (KMS) and in transit (SSL)
• Store credentials in AWS Secrets Manager
• Isolate RDS in private subnets
• Tag resources for cost tracking
• Regularly test restores in a staging account

Why How to Deploy PostgreSQL on AWS is important

How to Deploy PostgreSQL on AWS Example Usage


SELECT c.name, SUM(oi.quantity * p.price) AS lifetime_value
FROM Customers c
JOIN Orders o  ON o.customer_id = c.id
JOIN OrderItems oi ON oi.order_id = o.id
JOIN Products p ON p.id = oi.product_id
GROUP BY c.name
ORDER BY lifetime_value DESC
LIMIT 10;

How to Deploy PostgreSQL on AWS Syntax


aws rds create-db-instance \
  --db-instance-identifier <name> \
  --db-instance-class <instance_class> \
  --engine postgres \
  --engine-version <major.minor> \
  --allocated-storage <GB> \
  --master-username <user> \
  --master-user-password <password> \
  --db-subnet-group <subnet_group> \
  [--publicly-accessible | --no-publicly-accessible] \
  [--multi-az] \
  [--backup-retention-period <1-35>] \
  [--storage-encrypted --kms-key-id <arn>] \
  [--vpc-security-group-ids <sg_ids>] \
  [--enable-iam-database-authentication]

Common Mistakes

Opening the RDS instance to 0.0.0.0/0 in its security group. This allows anyone on the internet to hit port 5432. Restrict inbound rules to specific office IPs or a bastion host.
Leaving automated backups disabled to save costs. Without them, point-in-time recovery is impossible after accidental DROPs. Always set backup_retention_period ≥7 days.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Aurora always better than RDS?

No. Aurora offers higher throughput but costs ~20% more and has a 10 GB minimum. For small workloads, RDS may be cheaper and simpler.

Can I upgrade Postgres major versions in place?

Yes. Use modify-db-instance --engine-version 16. AWS performs a blue/green upgrade with minimal downtime.

How do I turn on IAM authentication?

Pass --enable-iam-database-authentication when creating or modifying the instance, then connect with a signed token generated by aws rds generate-db-auth-token.