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Hritik Raj
Hritik Raj

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🚨 AWS 132: Data Time Travel - RDS Snapshots and Restoration

#aws #rds #backup #100daysofcloud

AWS

🕒 Safeguarding Data: Snapshotting and Restoring Amazon RDS

Hey Cloud Builders 👋

Welcome to Day 32 of the #100DaysOfCloud Challenge!
Today, we are performing a high-stakes task for the Nautilus Development Team. Before a major infrastructure update, we must ensure our data is backed up and restorable. We are taking a manual DB Snapshot of our existing database and restoring it to a brand-new instance to validate our recovery pipeline.

This task is part of my hands-on practice on the KodeKloud Engineer platform, which I highly recommend for anyone looking to master real-world DevOps scenarios.

🎯 Objective

  • Capture a manual snapshot of devops-rds named devops-snapshot.
  • Restore the snapshot to a new instance named devops-snapshot-restore.
  • Upgrade/Configure the restored instance to use the db.t3.micro class.
  • Verify that both the snapshot and the new instance reach the Available state.

💡 Why Backup & Restore is Non-Negotiable

Data loss is the ultimate nightmare for any organization. Manual snapshots allow you to freeze your data at a specific point in time before risky operations.

🔹 Key Concepts

  • DB Snapshot A storage-level backup of your entire DB instance, not just individual databases. Manual snapshots are kept until you explicitly delete them.

  • Point-in-Time Restore While we are using a manual snapshot today, RDS also supports restoring to any second within your retention period (automatic backups).

  • Instance Decoupling When you restore a snapshot, AWS creates a new DB instance. This allows you to test updates on the restored version without affecting the original production database.

🛠️ Step-by-Step: The Restoration Workflow

We’ll move logically from Snapshotting → Restoration → Configuration.

🔹 Phase A: Capture the Snapshot

  • Pre-check: Ensure the source devops-rds instance is in the Available state.
  • Action: Select the instance → Actions → Take snapshot.

  • Naming: Name the snapshot devops-snapshot.
  • The "Secret Sauce": Monitor the Snapshots tab. The process isn't finished until the snapshot status is Available. ---

🔹 Phase B: Restore to New Instance

  • Selection: Go to the Snapshots menu, select devops-snapshot.
  • Action: Click Actions → Restore snapshot.
  • Restored Identifier: Set the new DB instance identifier to devops-snapshot-restore. ---

🔹 Phase C: Instance Sizing & Validation

  • Instance Class: Ensure you select db.t3.micro during the restore wizard to keep it consistent with our dev requirements.
  • Launch: Keep other settings (VPC, Security Groups) default or match the original.
  • Wait: The restoration process involves provisioning new hardware and copying data, so it may take 5–10 minutes.

✅ Verify Success

  • Check the Dashboard: Navigate to the RDS Databases list.
  • Confirm: 🎉 Once devops-snapshot-restore shows a status of 🟢 Available, your data recovery drill is a success!

📝 Key Takeaways

  • 🚀 Manual Control: Unlike automated backups, manual snapshots are never deleted by AWS automatically.
  • 🕒 I/O Suspension: On single-AZ instances, taking a snapshot can cause a brief I/O suspension. Always perform manual snapshots during maintenance windows!
  • 📣 Clean Up: Restoring a snapshot creates a second database. Once your testing is done, remember to delete the restored instance to save costs.

🚫 Common Mistakes

  • Patience: Trying to restore a snapshot while it is still in the "Creating" phase.
  • Naming Collisions: Trying to restore using the same name as an existing instance.
  • Instance Type: Forgetting to change the instance class during restore, which might default to a larger, more expensive type.

🌟 Final Thoughts

You’ve just verified a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan! This ability to clone databases is the foundation for Blue/Green deployments and safe database migrations. You can now sleep easier knowing your data is safe and restorable.

🌟 Practice Like a Pro

If you want to try these tasks yourself in a real AWS environment, check out:
👉 KodeKloud Engineer - Practice Labs

It’s where I’ve been sharpening my skills daily!

🔗 Let’s Connect

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