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Skill 62 · Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL
Subchapter 62.8
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This extends the SKILL.md five-dimension table (engines, networking, capacity mode, time-to-first-query, use cases) to operational capabilities: backup and PITR, monitoring, encryption, IAM, parameter groups, lifecycle, and advanced-feature eligibility.
Cells reflect the Express configuration settings table and Limitations section. Express configuration capabilities may expand over time; where a behavior is not yet enumerated by AWS, the cell reads “Default — verify in the AWS User Guide” rather than inventing a value.
| Dimension | Express Configuration | Full Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Backup retention | Default 1 day (configurable 1–35 days; changeable after creation) | User-specified at creation (1–35 days) |
| Point-in-time recovery (PITR) | Supported per Aurora defaults — verify window in the AWS User Guide | Supported per configured backup retention window |
| Automated snapshots | Applied per Aurora defaults — verify schedule in the AWS User Guide | Applied per configured backup retention window |
| Manual snapshots | Supported (standard Aurora mechanics) | Supported |
| Snapshot sharing / cross-account | Aurora defaults — verify in the AWS User Guide | Supported |
| Snapshot copy to another region | Aurora defaults — verify in the AWS User Guide | Supported |
| CloudWatch metrics | Standard Aurora CloudWatch metrics apply | Standard Aurora CloudWatch metrics apply |
| Performance Insights | Disabled by default; enable after creation | Supported (optional, configurable retention) |
| Enhanced Monitoring | Disabled by default; enable after creation | Supported (optional, configurable interval) |
| Database Activity Streams | Not supported (express clusters have no VPC) | Supported |
| Encryption at rest | Enabled with an AWS owned key (SSE-RDS) — the AWS-controlled key you cannot view, manage, or change | Enabled, user-selectable AWS KMS key (AWS managed key or customer managed key) |
| Customer-managed KMS keys | Not available in the express flow — verify in the AWS User Guide | Supported |
| Encryption in transit | TLS-enforced per Aurora defaults | TLS-configurable per cluster parameters |
| IAM database authentication | Required / IAM-only. Cannot be modified. | Supported (opt-in per cluster) |
| Secrets Manager managed master password | Not supported. Express clusters use IAM auth only — no master password exists. | Supported (opt-in at creation) |
| Parameter group (cluster) | Default Aurora PostgreSQL cluster parameter group for the selected version | User-selectable (default or customer-managed) |
| Parameter group swap post-creation | Uses the Aurora default DB cluster parameter group; changeable after the create operation completes | Supported |
| Custom DB parameter group | Default — verify in the AWS User Guide | Supported |
| Deletion protection | Disabled by default; user-configurable during or after creation | User-configurable at creation and post-creation |
| Final snapshot on delete | Default — verify in the AWS User Guide | User-configurable at delete time |
| Backtrack (Aurora MySQL only) | Not applicable (PostgreSQL-only flow) | Aurora MySQL only |
| Aurora Global Database eligibility | Not supported (no VPC) | Supported (opt-in, cross-region replication) |
| Aurora Replicas / Read Replicas | Supported — add readers (local Aurora Replicas) after creation; writer and reader in different AZs (automatic failover) | Supported (up to 15 Aurora Replicas per cluster) |
| Cross-region replica | Not supported (no VPC; Aurora Global Database cross-region replication unavailable, and Cross-Region Aurora Replicas are MySQL-only while express is PostgreSQL-only) | Supported |
| Blue/Green deployments | Not supported (no VPC) | Supported |
| Zero-ETL integrations | Not supported (no VPC association) | Supported per Aurora zero-ETL integrations documentation (opens in a new tab) |
| RDS Data API | Supported but disabled by default; enable after creation via ModifyDBCluster. On express clusters it does NOT support master username/password auth — you must create new user credentials | Supported per Aurora Data API documentation (opens in a new tab) |
| Aurora zero downtime patching (ZDP) | Not supported with express configuration (no VPC association) | Follows configured behavior per cluster |
| Maintenance window | User-configurable (weekly window or No preference); changeable during or after creation. Default varies by Region | User-configurable |
| Tagging | Supported per Aurora defaults | Supported |
| VPC flow logs / VPC-level network telemetry | Not applicable (no customer VPC) | Available at the customer VPC level |
shared_preload_libraries, tuned max_connections, or other custom cluster tuning signals Full Configuration is the right start. Express clusters use the Aurora default DB cluster parameter group, changeable after the create operation completes. See Aurora PostgreSQL parameters (opens in a new tab).Links not already cited inline: