Setting Up AWS RDS with PostgreSQL for Production

Introduction

AWS RDS offers managed PostgreSQL with backups, scaling, and high availability. This guide covers provisioning and configuring RDS for production workloads.

Prerequisites

• AWS CLI configured
• AWS account permissions

Step 1: Create Parameter Group

aws rds create-db-parameter-group \
  --db-parameter-group-name my-postgres-params \
  --db-parameter-group-family postgres14 \
  --description "Custom Postgres params"

aws rds modify-db-parameter-group \
  --db-parameter-group-name my-postgres-params \
  --parameters "ParameterName=max_connections,ParameterValue=200,ApplyMethod=immediate"

Step 2: Launch RDS Instance

aws rds create-db-instance \
  --db-instance-identifier prod-db \
  --db-instance-class db.m6g.large \
  --engine postgres \
  --engine-version 14.6 \
  --allocated-storage 100 \
  --storage-type gp3 \
  --multi-az \
  --master-username admin \
  --master-user-password yourpassword \
  --db-parameter-group-name my-postgres-params \
  --backup-retention-period 7 \
  --publicly-accessible false \
  --vpc-security-group-ids sg-0123456789abcdef0

Step 3: Configure Auto Minor Version Upgrades

aws rds modify-db-instance \
  --db-instance-identifier prod-db \
  --auto-minor-version-upgrade \
  --apply-immediately

Step 4: Set Up IAM Authentication (Optional)

aws rds modify-db-instance \
  --db-instance-identifier prod-db \
  --enable-iam-database-authentication \
  --apply-immediately

Step 5: Connect from Application

Use SSL: download RDS root certificate and configure your PG client.

Summary

AWS RDS simplifies PostgreSQL management. Use parameter groups, Multi-AZ, automated backups, and security best practices for a robust production database.