Amazon RDS Custom is a managed database service that gives you the flexibility of self-managed databases with the automation of RDS.
It’s designed for applications that require custom configurations, privileged access, or third-party software inside the database environment — things that standard RDS does not allow.
It supports:
Standard RDS manages almost everything automatically — OS patching, DB upgrades, configuration limits — which is perfect for most workloads.
However, some enterprise workloads (like Oracle E-Business Suite or custom SQL-based ERP apps) require:
RDS Custom bridges this gap: you get control, without losing automation.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Custom OS access | SSH or RDP into the host instance |
| Custom configurations | Install agents, modify OS settings |
| Managed automation | AWS still handles backups, monitoring, HA |
| Bring Your Own License (BYOL) | Use your existing Oracle or SQL Server licenses |
| Integration with CloudWatch | For metrics and monitoring |
| High Availability (Multi-AZ) | Optional for fault tolerance |
| Aspect | RDS Standard | RDS Custom |
|---|---|---|
| OS Access | Not allowed | Full (SSH/RDP) |
| Customization | Limited | Deep customization allowed |
| Control | AWS-managed | Shared control |
| Use Case | General workloads | Enterprise custom apps |
| Supported Engines | MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc. | Oracle, SQL Server |
| Licensing | Included | BYOL required |