MySQL to Amazon Aurora Migration Blueprint
A blueprint to move self-managed MySQL to Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible using binlog replication or DMS CDC, gaining managed HA, scaling, and lower operational toil with no app changes.
Overview
Self-managed MySQL on EC2 or on-prem requires manual backups, patching, failover, and read-replica management. Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition is a managed, MySQL-wire-compatible engine with automated storage scaling, six-way replicated storage, fast failover, and up to 15 read replicas. Because Aurora speaks the MySQL protocol, application code usually needs no changes.
Phases
Assessment. Confirm MySQL version compatibility (Aurora supports specific 5.7/8.0 lines). Check storage engine (InnoDB required), character sets, and any plugins or mysqldump quirks. Estimate Aurora instance class and I/O cost.
Provisioning. Create the Aurora cluster with a writer and reader instances across Availability Zones. Configure parameter groups to mirror critical my.cnf settings (innodb_buffer_pool_size, max_connections, timezone).
Data migration. For one-time loads, restore a mysqldump or Percona XtraBackup snapshot, or use the native restore-from-S3 path. For minimal downtime, use AWS DMS with CDC, or set up Aurora as a binlog replica of the source MySQL and let it catch up.
Validation. Compare row counts and checksums (pt-table-checksum), replay representative queries, and confirm replica lag is near zero.
Cutover. Stop writes on source, let replication drain, promote Aurora, and repoint the application via the cluster endpoint. With binlog replication you can keep the window to seconds.
Key Risks and Mitigations
- Data consistency: Use
pt-table-checksumand CDC to keep the target in lockstep before promoting. - Downtime: Use binlog replication or DMS CDC so the cutover window is brief.
- Cost overrun: Aurora bills for I/O; model workload I/O and consider Aurora I/O-Optimized for write-heavy systems.
Recommended Tooling
AWS DMS for CDC; native MySQL binlog replication; Percona Toolkit for checksums; Amazon CloudWatch for replica lag and CPU; sysbench for load testing.
Success Metrics
Increased availability (multi-AZ failover), higher read throughput via reader endpoints, and reduced operational toil from managed backups and patching.
Prerequisites
InnoDB tables, a compatible MySQL version, network connectivity from source to AWS, and a maintenance window with rollback plan.