What is Babelfish and why does it matter?

Babelfish for Aurora PostgreSQL is a compatibility layer that understands the SQL Server protocol and dialect. It lets applications written for SQL Server run on Aurora with minimal changes, removing SQL Server licenses and gaining Aurora's performance and serverless scaling. It is one of the most concrete ways to save on databases.

What is the difference between RDS and Aurora?

Aurora is part of the RDS family but with an engine rewritten by AWS, compatible with PostgreSQL and MySQL, offering higher performance, auto-scaling storage and faster failover. Aurora Serverless adjusts capacity automatically with demand.

Who manages backups in RDS?

AWS automates them: daily backups, manual snapshots and point-in-time recovery. You set the retention window; there are no backup scripts or servers to maintain.

Which database engines does Amazon RDS support?

RDS supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server and Oracle, plus Amazon Aurora (compatible with PostgreSQL and MySQL). You pick the engine your application already uses and AWS runs the operations underneath.

Should I use Amazon RDS or run the database on an EC2 myself?

RDS manages patching, backups, high availability and monitoring automatically; running the database on an EC2 gives full control but shifts all that operations work to your team. For most business workloads, RDS frees up time and reduces operational risk.

How do you control cost in Amazon RDS?

With the right instance size, read replicas only where they add value, Aurora Serverless for variable workloads and, for SQL Server workloads, Babelfish to remove licenses. It is ongoing FinOps work rather than a single decision.

Is Amazon RDS safe for sensitive data?

Yes, when configured well: encryption at rest and in transit, VPC isolation, least-privilege IAM access and automated backups. It is suitable for regulated data when the architecture follows best practices.

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Amazon RDS — Relational Database Service

Managed relational databases: AWS handles patching, backups and high availability so your team focuses on the data, not on running servers.

What is Amazon RDS?

Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) lets you run relational databases —PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server or Oracle— without managing the underlying server. AWS handles installation, security patching, automated backups and replication, tasks that on-premise consume hours from your infrastructure team.

With Multi-AZ deployments you get high availability with automatic failover, and with read replicas you scale queries. For more demanding workloads, Amazon Aurora —compatible with PostgreSQL and MySQL— offers higher performance, auto-scaling storage and, in its Serverless mode, capacity that grows and shrinks on its own with demand.

This is where one of the biggest savings opportunities lies: Babelfish for Aurora PostgreSQL lets you run SQL Server applications on Aurora with minimal code changes. It removes the costly SQL Server licenses, adds Aurora's performance and near-instant scaling, and moves operations to a managed serverless model. For many companies with SQL Server workloads, it is the most direct path to significant savings without rewriting their systems.

Use cases

What Amazon RDS is used for

Transactional backend

The database behind business apps, e-commerce and SaaS platforms that need consistency and availability.

SQL Server to Aurora with Babelfish

Migrate SQL Server workloads to Aurora PostgreSQL, removing licenses and gaining performance, with minimal code changes.

High availability

Multi-AZ with automatic failover for critical workloads that cannot go down.

Read scaling

Read replicas to offload reporting and analytics from the primary database.

Regulated environments

Databases with encryption, backup and high availability for sectors that demand continuity and traceability.

On-demand dev/test

Spin database environments up and down per project, paying only for the time you use.

How Caleidos implements it

Amazon RDS with an AWS partner

At Caleidos we migrate and modernize databases to RDS and Aurora. One of our highest-impact plays is moving SQL Server workloads to Aurora with Babelfish: the client drastically reduces licensing cost, gains performance and ends up on a managed serverless architecture. We design the high-availability topology and migration plan to make the journey safe.

Explore Application Modernization →

Frequently asked questions

What is Babelfish and why does it matter?: Babelfish for Aurora PostgreSQL is a compatibility layer that understands the SQL Server protocol and dialect. It lets applications written for SQL Server run on Aurora with minimal changes, removing SQL Server licenses and gaining Aurora's performance and serverless scaling. It is one of the most concrete ways to save on databases.
What is the difference between RDS and Aurora?: Aurora is part of the RDS family but with an engine rewritten by AWS, compatible with PostgreSQL and MySQL, offering higher performance, auto-scaling storage and faster failover. Aurora Serverless adjusts capacity automatically with demand.
Who manages backups in RDS?: AWS automates them: daily backups, manual snapshots and point-in-time recovery. You set the retention window; there are no backup scripts or servers to maintain.
Which database engines does Amazon RDS support?: RDS supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server and Oracle, plus Amazon Aurora (compatible with PostgreSQL and MySQL). You pick the engine your application already uses and AWS runs the operations underneath.
Should I use Amazon RDS or run the database on an EC2 myself?: RDS manages patching, backups, high availability and monitoring automatically; running the database on an EC2 gives full control but shifts all that operations work to your team. For most business workloads, RDS frees up time and reduces operational risk.
How do you control cost in Amazon RDS?: With the right instance size, read replicas only where they add value, Aurora Serverless for variable workloads and, for SQL Server workloads, Babelfish to remove licenses. It is ongoing FinOps work rather than a single decision.
Is Amazon RDS safe for sensitive data?: Yes, when configured well: encryption at rest and in transit, VPC isolation, least-privilege IAM access and automated backups. It is suitable for regulated data when the architecture follows best practices.

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