A global banking application uses Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL as its primary database. The application requires exceptionally low latency for read operations, especially for users in different continents. Additionally, the architects need a robust disaster recovery strategy that ensures continuous availability with an RPO of zero and an RTO of near-zero in case of a regional database failure. Which Aurora feature provides both ultra-low latency global reads and a synchronous, zero-RPO disaster recovery solution?
- AAmazon RDS Proxy to manage connections and failover between regions.
- BAurora Global Database with a single writer and multiple read replicas.
- CAurora Multi-Master Cluster deployed across multiple AWS Regions.
- DCross-Region Aurora Read Replicas with asynchronous replication.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Aurora Multi-Master Cluster deployed across multiple AWS Regions.
Aurora Multi-Master enables you to create multiple read/write instances of an Aurora database across multiple Availability Zones, or even across multiple AWS Regions (though cross-region multi-master is currently a more advanced/less common pattern, the question implies this level of synchronous, zero-RPO capability). It provides synchronous replication between masters, allowing for zero RPO and near-zero RTO for both read and write operations during failover scenarios. This architecture inherently supports global reads with synchronous write replication for extreme availability.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. RDS Proxy manages connections and reduces failover times for single-region databases but does not provide multi-region synchronous replication or zero RPO.
- B. Aurora Global Database is active-passive for writes and asynchronous, offering an RPO of typically 1 second, not zero. It's excellent for DR but not synchronous zero RPO.
- D. Cross-Region Aurora Read Replicas use asynchronous replication, leading to a non-zero RPO, and requiring manual promotion for failover.
Aurora Multi-Master
An Amazon Aurora feature that allows you to create multiple read/write instances of a single database cluster, providing continuous availability with synchronous replication.
- All instances are active primary instances, capable of read/write.
- Provides zero RPO and near-zero RTO for failures.
- Supports synchronous replication for extreme availability (currently within a region).
Memory trick: Multi-Master: Maximize availability, minimize downtime, zero data loss.