Backup Types

RDS for MySQL supports multiple backup types. Based on different dimensions, there are the following backup types:

• Full backups and incremental backups based on data volume

  Table 1 Comparison between full backups and incremental backups

  Backup Type	Full backups	Incremental backups
  Description	All data in an instance is backed up.	Only data changes within a certain period of time are backed up.
  Enabled by Default	Yes	Yes
  Retention Period	You can specify how many days automated backups can be retained for. If you shorten the retention period, the new backup policy takes effect for existing backups. Manual backups will not be deleted until you delete them manually.	Incremental backups will be deleted along with automated full backups.
  Characteristics	A full backup is to back up all data of your DB instance in the current point of time. You can use a full backup to restore the complete data generated when the backup was created. Full backups include automated backups and manual backups.	RDS automatically backs up data modifications made after the most recent automated or incremental backup every five minutes or when a certain amount of incremental data is generated. Incremental backups are automated backups. Restoring data from incremental backups relies on the most recent full backup, as shown in Figure 1, so the most recent full backup that exceeds the retention period will not be deleted to ensure successful restoration. Figure 1 Incremental data restoration
  How to Check Backup Size	Click the target instance name. On the Backups & Restorations page, click the Full Backups tab and check the backup size.	Click the target instance name. On the Backups & Restorations page, click the Binlog Backups tab and check the backup size.

• Automated backups and manual backups based on backup methods

  Table 2 Comparison between automated backups and manual backups

  Backup Type	Automated backups	Manual backups
  Description	You can set an automated backup policy on the console, and the system will back up your instance data based on the time window and backup cycle you set in the backup policy and will store the backups for the retention period you specified. Automated backups cannot be manually deleted. To delete them, you can adjust the retention period specified in your automated backup policy. Retained backups (including full and incremental backups) will be automatically deleted at the end of the retention period.	Manual backups are user-initiated full backups of your DB instance. They are retained until you delete them manually. Regularly backing up your DB instance is recommended, so if your DB instance fails or data is corrupted, you can restore it using backups.
  Enabled by Default	Yes	Yes
  Retention Period	Automated backups are retained for the number of days you specified. The retention period ranges from 1 to 732 days.	Manual backups are always retained until you delete them manually.
  How to Configure	Automated backups	Manual backups

• Intra-region backups and cross-region backups based on backup regions
  

  To use cross-region backup, contact customer service to apply for required permissions.

  Table 3 Comparison between intra-region backups and cross-region backups

  Backup Type	Intra-region backups	Cross-region backups
  Description	Backups are stored in the same region as your DB instance.	Backups are stored in a different region from that of your DB instance.
  Enabled by Default	Yes	No
  Retention Period	Backups are retained for the number of days you specified. The retention period ranges from 1 to 732 days.	Backups are retained for the number of days you specified. The retention period ranges from 1 to 1,825 days.
  Characteristics	Backups are stored in the same region as your DB instance. Intra-region backup (automated backup) is enabled by default and cannot be disabled.	Backups are stored in a region different from the one where your DB instance is located. After you enable cross-region backup, the backups are automatically stored in the region you specify.
  How to Configure	Configuring an Intra-Region Backup Policy	Configuring a Cross-Region Backup Policy
  How to Check Backup Size	Click Backups in the navigation pane. On the Same-Region Backups tab, check the backup size.	Click Backups in the navigation pane. On the Cross-Region Backups tab, click View Cross-Region Backup and check the backup size.