AWS SDK for Java v2 – RDS Management

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for working with Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) using the AWS SDK for Java 2.x, covering database instance management, snapshots, parameter groups, and RDS operations.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating and managing RDS database instances (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Aurora, etc.)
• Taking and restoring database snapshots
• Managing DB parameter groups and configurations
• Querying RDS instance metadata and status
• Setting up Multi-AZ deployments
• Configuring automated backups
• Managing security groups for RDS
• Connecting Lambda functions to RDS databases
• Implementing RDS IAM authentication
• Monitoring RDS instances and metrics

Instructions

Follow these steps to work with Amazon RDS:

1. Add Dependencies – Include AWS RDS SDK dependency and database drivers
2. Create RDS Client – Instantiate RdsClient with proper region and credentials
3. Create DB Instance – Use createDBInstance() with appropriate configuration
4. Configure Security – Set up VPC security groups and encryption
5. Set Up Backups – Configure automated backup windows and retention
6. Monitor Status – Use describeDBInstances() to check instance state
7. Create Snapshots – Take manual snapshots before major changes
8. Handle Failover – Configure Multi-AZ for high availability

Getting Started

RDS Client Setup

The RdsClient is the main entry point for interacting with Amazon RDS.

Basic Client Creation:

import software.amazon.awssdk.regions.Region;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.rds.RdsClient;

RdsClient rdsClient = RdsClient.builder()
    .region(Region.US_EAST_1)
    .build();

// Use client
describeInstances(rdsClient);

// Always close the client
rdsClient.close();

Client with Custom Configuration:

import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.ProfileCredentialsProvider;
import software.amazon.awssdk.http.apache.ApacheHttpClient;

RdsClient rdsClient = RdsClient.builder()
    .region(Region.US_WEST_2)
    .credentialsProvider(ProfileCredentialsProvider.create("myprofile"))
    .httpClient(ApacheHttpClient.builder()
        .connectionTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
        .socketTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(60))
        .build())
    .build();

Describing DB Instances

Retrieve information about existing RDS instances.

List All DB Instances:

public static void describeInstances(RdsClient rdsClient) {
    try {
        DescribeDbInstancesResponse response = rdsClient.describeDBInstances();
        List<DBInstance> instanceList = response.dbInstances();

        for (DBInstance instance : instanceList) {
            System.out.println("Instance ARN: " + instance.dbInstanceArn());
            System.out.println("Engine: " + instance.engine());
            System.out.println("Status: " + instance.dbInstanceStatus());
            System.out.println("Endpoint: " + instance.endpoint().address());
            System.out.println("Port: " + instance.endpoint().port());
            System.out.println("---");
        }
    } catch (RdsException e) {
        System.err.println(e.getMessage());
        System.exit(1);
    }
}

Key Operations

Creating DB Instances

Create new RDS database instances with various configurations.

Create Basic DB Instance:

public static String createDBInstance(RdsClient rdsClient,
                                     String dbInstanceIdentifier,
                                     String dbName,
                                     String masterUsername,
                                     String masterPassword) {
    try {
        CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
            .dbInstanceIdentifier(dbInstanceIdentifier)
            .dbName(dbName)
            .engine("postgres")
            .engineVersion("14.7")
            .dbInstanceClass("db.t3.micro")
            .allocatedStorage(20)
            .masterUsername(masterUsername)
            .masterUserPassword(masterPassword)
            .publiclyAccessible(false)
            .build();

        CreateDbInstanceResponse response = rdsClient.createDBInstance(request);
        System.out.println("Creating DB instance: " + response.dbInstance().dbInstanceArn());

        return response.dbInstance().dbInstanceArn();
    } catch (RdsException e) {
        System.err.println("Error creating instance: " + e.getMessage());
        throw e;
    }
}

Managing DB Parameter Groups

Create and manage custom parameter groups for database configuration.

Create DB Parameter Group:

public static void createDBParameterGroup(RdsClient rdsClient,
                                         String groupName,
                                         String description) {
    try {
        CreateDbParameterGroupRequest request = CreateDbParameterGroupRequest.builder()
            .dbParameterGroupName(groupName)
            .dbParameterGroupFamily("postgres15")
            .description(description)
            .build();

        CreateDbParameterGroupResponse response = rdsClient.createDBParameterGroup(request);
        System.out.println("Created parameter group: " + response.dbParameterGroup().dbParameterGroupName());
    } catch (RdsException e) {
        System.err.println("Error creating parameter group: " + e.getMessage());
        throw e;
    }
}

Managing DB Snapshots

Create, restore, and manage database snapshots.

Create DB Snapshot:

public static String createDBSnapshot(RdsClient rdsClient,
                                     String dbInstanceIdentifier,
                                     String snapshotIdentifier) {
    try {
        CreateDbSnapshotRequest request = CreateDbSnapshotRequest.builder()
            .dbInstanceIdentifier(dbInstanceIdentifier)
            .dbSnapshotIdentifier(snapshotIdentifier)
            .build();

        CreateDbSnapshotResponse response = rdsClient.createDBSnapshot(request);
        System.out.println("Creating snapshot: " + response.dbSnapshot().dbSnapshotIdentifier());

        return response.dbSnapshot().dbSnapshotArn();
    } catch (RdsException e) {
        System.err.println("Error creating snapshot: " + e.getMessage());
        throw e;
    }
}

Integration Patterns

Spring Boot Integration

Refer to references/spring-boot-integration.md for complete Spring Boot integration examples including:

• Spring Boot configuration with application properties
• RDS client bean configuration
• Service layer implementation
• REST controller design
• Exception handling
• Testing strategies

Lambda Integration

Refer to references/lambda-integration.md for Lambda integration examples including:

• Traditional Lambda + RDS connections
• Lambda with connection pooling
• Using AWS Secrets Manager for credentials
• Lambda with AWS SDK for RDS management
• Security configuration and best practices

Advanced Operations

Modifying DB Instances

Update existing RDS instances.

public static void modifyDBInstance(RdsClient rdsClient,
                                   String dbInstanceIdentifier,
                                   String newInstanceClass) {
    try {
        ModifyDbInstanceRequest request = ModifyDbInstanceRequest.builder()
            .dbInstanceIdentifier(dbInstanceIdentifier)
            .dbInstanceClass(newInstanceClass)
            .applyImmediately(false) // Apply during maintenance window
            .build();

        ModifyDbInstanceResponse response = rdsClient.modifyDBInstance(request);
        System.out.println("Modified instance: " + response.dbInstance().dbInstanceIdentifier());
        System.out.println("New class: " + response.dbInstance().dbInstanceClass());
    } catch (RdsException e) {
        System.err.println("Error modifying instance: " + e.getMessage());
        throw e;
    }
}

Deleting DB Instances

Delete RDS instances with optional final snapshot.

public static void deleteDBInstanceWithSnapshot(RdsClient rdsClient,
                                               String dbInstanceIdentifier,
                                               String finalSnapshotIdentifier) {
    try {
        DeleteDbInstanceRequest request = DeleteDbInstanceRequest.builder()
            .dbInstanceIdentifier(dbInstanceIdentifier)
            .skipFinalSnapshot(false)
            .finalDBSnapshotIdentifier(finalSnapshotIdentifier)
            .build();

        DeleteDbInstanceResponse response = rdsClient.deleteDBInstance(request);
        System.out.println("Deleting instance: " + response.dbInstance().dbInstanceIdentifier());
    } catch (RdsException e) {
        System.err.println("Error deleting instance: " + e.getMessage());
        throw e;
    }
}

Examples

Example 1: Complete RDS Instance Creation with All Security Settings

public String createSecurePostgreSQLInstance(RdsClient rdsClient,
                                            String instanceIdentifier,
                                            String dbName,
                                            String masterUsername,
                                            String masterPassword,
                                            String vpcSecurityGroupId) {
    CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
        .dbInstanceIdentifier(instanceIdentifier)
        .dbName(dbName)
        .masterUsername(masterUsername)
        .masterUserPassword(masterPassword)
        .engine("postgres")
        .engineVersion("15.4")
        .dbInstanceClass("db.t3.micro")
        .allocatedStorage(20)
        .storageEncrypted(true)
        .storageType(StorageType.GP2)
        .vpcSecurityGroupIds(vpcSecurityGroupId)
        .publiclyAccessible(false)
        .multiAZ(true)
        .backupRetentionPeriod(7)
        .preferredBackupWindow("03:00-04:00")
        .preferredMaintenanceWindow("sun:04:00-sun:05:00")
        .deletionProtection(true)
        .enableCloudwatchLogsExports("postgresql", "upgrade")
        .build();

    CreateDbInstanceResponse response = rdsClient.createDBInstance(request);
    return response.dbInstance().dbInstanceArn();
}

Example 2: Spring Boot Service for RDS Management

@Service
@RequiredArgsConstructor
public class RdsManagementService {

    private final RdsClient rdsClient;

    public List<DBInstance> listAllInstances() {
        DescribeDbInstancesResponse response = rdsClient.describeDBInstances();
        return response.dbInstances();
    }

    public DBInstance getInstanceById(String instanceId) {
        DescribeDbInstancesResponse response = rdsClient.describeDBInstances(
            DescribeDbInstancesRequest.builder()
                .dbInstanceIdentifier(instanceId)
                .build()
        );
        return response.dbInstances().get(0);
    }

    public String createSnapshot(String instanceId, String snapshotId) {
        CreateDbSnapshotResponse response = rdsClient.createDBSnapshot(
            CreateDbSnapshotRequest.builder()
                .dbInstanceIdentifier(instanceId)
                .dbSnapshotIdentifier(snapshotId)
                .build()
        );
        return response.dbSnapshot().dbSnapshotArn();
    }
}

Example 3: Wait for Instance to Be Available

public void waitForInstanceAvailable(RdsClient rdsClient, String instanceId) {
    DescribeDbInstancesRequest request = DescribeDbInstancesRequest.builder()
        .dbInstanceIdentifier(instanceId)
        .build();

    waiter = rdsClient.waiter();
    waiter.waitUntilDBInstanceAvailable(request);

    System.out.println("Instance " + instanceId + " is now available!");
}

Best Practices

Security

Always use encryption:

CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
    .storageEncrypted(true)
    .kmsKeyId("arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012")
    .build();

Use VPC security groups:

CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
    .vpcSecurityGroupIds("sg-12345678")
    .publiclyAccessible(false)
    .build();

High Availability

Enable Multi-AZ for production:

CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
    .multiAZ(true)
    .build();

Backups

Configure automated backups:

CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
    .backupRetentionPeriod(7)
    .preferredBackupWindow("03:00-04:00")
    .build();

Monitoring

Enable CloudWatch logs:

CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
    .enableCloudwatchLogsExports("postgresql", "upgrade")
    .build();

Cost Optimization

Use appropriate instance class:

// Development
.dbInstanceClass("db.t3.micro")

// Production
.dbInstanceClass("db.r5.large")

Deletion Protection

Enable for production databases:

CreateDbInstanceRequest request = CreateDbInstanceRequest.builder()
    .deletionProtection(true)
    .build();

Resource Management

Always close clients:

try (RdsClient rdsClient = RdsClient.builder()
    .region(Region.US_EAST_1)
    .build()) {
    // Use client
} // Automatically closed

Dependencies

Maven Dependencies

<dependencies>
    <!-- AWS SDK for RDS -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>software.amazon.awssdk</groupId>
        <artifactId>rds</artifactId>
        <version>2.20.0</version> // Use the latest version available
    </dependency>

    <!-- PostgreSQL Driver -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.postgresql</groupId>
        <artifactId>postgresql</artifactId>
        <version>42.6.0</version> // Use the correct version available
    </dependency>

    <!-- MySQL Driver -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>mysql</groupId>
        <artifactId>mysql-connector-java</artifactId>
        <version>8.0.33</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

Gradle Dependencies

dependencies {
    // AWS SDK for RDS
    implementation 'software.amazon.awssdk:rds:2.20.0'

    // PostgreSQL Driver
    implementation 'org.postgresql:postgresql:42.6.0'

    // MySQL Driver
    implementation 'mysql:mysql-connector-java:8.0.33'
}

Reference Documentation

For detailed API reference, see:

• API Reference – Complete API documentation and data models
• Spring Boot Integration – Spring Boot patterns and examples
• Lambda Integration – Lambda function patterns and best practices

Error Handling

See API Reference for comprehensive error handling patterns including common exceptions, error response structure, and pagination support.

Performance Considerations

• Use connection pooling for multiple database operations
• Implement retry logic for transient failures
• Monitor CloudWatch metrics for performance optimization
• Use appropriate instance types for workload requirements
• Enable Performance Insights for database optimization

Support

For support with AWS RDS operations using AWS SDK for Java 2.x:

• AWS Documentation: Amazon RDS User Guide
• AWS SDK Documentation: AWS SDK for Java 2.x
• AWS Support: AWS Support Center

Constraints and Warnings

• Instance Limits: AWS accounts have limits on number of DB instances per region
• Storage Limits: Maximum storage varies by engine and instance class
• Connection Limits: Each instance type has maximum connection limits
• Backup Storage: Automated backup storage incurs additional costs
• Multi-AZ Costs: Multi-AZ deployments approximately double compute costs
• Maintenance Windows: Instances may be unavailable during maintenance
• Snapshot Costs: Manual snapshots are billed based on storage used
• Engine Version: Older engine versions may not support all features
• Port Requirements: Security groups must allow database port access
• IAM Authentication: Not all database engines support IAM authentication