Setting up AWS MySQL Deployment Simplified: 10 Easy Steps

Going about AWS MySQL deployment isn’t rocket science, but there are a few things that you need to know to deploy the same appropriately. And if that is your need of the hour, you have come to the right place.

Cloud-based data storage solutions have now become the preferred choice for most modern businesses. This is primarily because running a Cloud-based database makes it easy for businesses to ensure that their databases grow along with their requirements and scale up or down on-demand or automatically to accommodate all peak-workload periods. Cloud-based Databases enable businesses to efficiently settle all data availability and security concerns as the Cloud allows for seamless Database Replication across multiple geographical locations, in addition to numerous backup and data recovery options.

One of the most well-known providers of Cloud-based services is Amazon Web Services (AWS). This article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how you can deploy AWS MySQL on AWS Relational Database Service (RDS).

Introduction to MySQL

MySQL is considered to be one of the most popular Open-Source Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). MySQL implements a simple Client-Server Model that helps its users manage Relational Databases i.e. data stored in the form of rows and columns across tables. It uses the well-known query language, Structured Query Language (SQL) that allows users to perform all required CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations.

MySQL was first developed by a Swedish company called MySQL AB in 1994. The company was then taken over by Sun Microsystems in 2008 which was finally taken over by the US tech giant, Oracle. Oracle is now responsible for the development and growth of MySQL. Even though MySQL is Open-Source and free of cost for everyone, it houses some premium features that are offered by Oracle only to those customers who are willing to pay for its usage.

Even though there is very high competition in the database market today, MySQL is considered to be the preferred database for more than 5000 companies including Uber, Netflix, Pinterest, Amazon, Airbnb, Twitter, etc.

Some of the key features of MySQL are as follows:

• Robust Transactional Support: Implementation of ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) properties that ensures no data loss or inconsistency.
• Ease of Use: Considering that it makes use of SQL for querying data, anyone with basic knowledge of SQL can perform the required tasks easily.
• Security: Implements a complex data security layer that ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive data.
• Scalable: Considered to be highly scalable due to support for multi-threading. 
• Roll-back Support: MySQL supports roll-backs, commits, and crash recovery for all transactions.
• High Performance: Houses various fast load utilities along with Table Index Partitioning and Distinct Memory Caches that can ensure high performance.

More information on MySQL can be found here.

Introduction to AWS MySQL

AWS Relational Database Service (RDS) is a completely managed database service offered by Amazon. It enables organizations to have access to highly available and reliable databases without having to spend a high amount of resources on setting up and maintaining hardware and software. Amazon offers multiple choices for database engines including AWS MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and SQLServer. It also offers a proprietary database engine called Amazon Aurora that is compatible with AWS MySQL and AWS PostgreSQL.

Amazon claims that AWS Aurora has a performance improvement of up to five times when compared to MySQL and three times when compared to PostgreSQL. AWS RDS pricing is based on the type of instance and amount of storage that is being used. Setting up RDS instances is very easy and can be done completely using the AWS console. Such ease of setting up, flexibility with Database Engines, high availability guarantees, and Data Protection policies makes it a favorite among organizations that use Cloud-based services.

More information on AWS MySQL can be found here.

Steps to Set up AWS MySQL

Setting up an RDS instance is just about heading to the AWS Management Console and configuring the options related to Instance Type, Storage, Database Engine, Security Group, and Connectivity Options. Users can set up AWS MySQL by implementing the following steps:

AWS MySQL Setup Step 1: The first step is to search for RDS from the AWS Management Console Search Bar.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 2: Select RDS and click Create Database as shown below.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 3: You should now select the required configurations for the database. Start by selecting the Standard create option, selecting MySQL as the Engine Option, and finally MySQL Community as the Edition.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 4: Based on your requirements, you can choose to create a Production Instance by selecting Production as the template, a Development Environment by selecting Dev/Test instance, or the Free Tier template if you wish to get an understanding of how AWS MySQL works or test existing application. The final pricing will depend on the kind of instance you create. More information on AWS MySQL pricing can be found here.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 5: Give the database a suitable name and configure the credentials for your admin user in the next section.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 6: Select the Storage Type and the space you wish to allocate. A minimum storage can be allocated based on business and data requirements. Ensure that you enable Auto Scaling. Auto Scaling ensures that if the storage goes beyond the minimum storage, the database will scale till it reached the maximum storage threshold value set below. Ensure the threshold value is comfortable to you from a cost perspective.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 7: Select the Security and Connectivity options as per requirements. Ensure that Public Access is enabled here. The VPC security group of your created database instance decides the incoming and outgoing connections that your instance is able to serve. You can either choose to create a new security group here or use an existing one. If you are using an existing one, ensure that the incoming connections to Port Number 3306 are enabled in that security group.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 8: Your estimated cost for the selected instance type will be displayed in the final stage along with the Create Database button. If no changes are required and the price is suitable, click Create Database to create and start your database instance.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 9: Wait until AWS configures the database. After a while, you will be able to see your database as available in the Databases section.

AWS MySQL Setup Step 10: Click on the database and head to the Connectivity & Security tab to note down the URL to connect to the database.

You have now created an AWS RDS MySQL instance. To connect to the database, you can use a MySQL client software like MySQL Workbench or the MySQL Command-Line from your Operating System shell. 

Conclusion

This article provided you with an in-depth understanding of how you can deploy MySQL on AWS RDS. Amazon provides a very intuitive User Interface for anyone to create and use a highly available database without having the knowledge or technical skills to maintain one. Amazon also provides utilities like AWS Data Pipeline and AWS Data Migration services for loading data to your databases from various sources. 

There are, however, certain limitations associated with the usage of AWS Data Pipeline. Firstly, AWS utilities are mostly focused on other AWS products, and an organization with data coming in from various Cloud-based as well as On-premise sources may not be able to accomplish everything with those tools. Secondly, AWS Data Pipeline is considered to be extremely hard to use and set up for someone who does not have enough technical knowledge and usually requires the support of trained AWS Architects. In such cases, having access to a completely managed cloud-based tool that supports almost any data source can be a great help. Hence, businesses can consider using automated Data Integration platforms such as Hevo.

Hevo helps you directly transfer data from a source of your choice to a Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence, or desired destination in a fully automated and secure manner without having to write the code. It will make your life easier and make data migration hassle-free. It is User-Friendly, Reliable, and Secure.

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