Aurora Serverless v1 is Saying Goodbye: Time to Migrate to v2
If you're using Aurora Serverless v1, you've likely heard the news: it's reaching its end of life. Let's be clear: you don't really have a choice. Migration to Aurora Serverless v2 is now a requirement to ensure continued support and to take advantage of the latest features and performance improvements.
AWS has announced the end-of-life date for Aurora Serverless v1: March 31st, 2025. We strongly recommend upgrading any Aurora Serverless v1 DB clusters to Aurora Serverless v2 before that date. The upgrade can involve a change in the major version number of the database engine. Thus, it's important to plan, test, and implement this switchover before the end-of-life date. Starting January 8th, 2025, customers will no longer be able to create new Aurora Serverless v1 clusters or instances with either the AWS Management Console or the CLI. For information about the migration process, see Upgrading from an Aurora Serverless v1 cluster to Aurora Serverless v2.
Aurora Serverless v2 scales more quickly and in a more granular way. Aurora Serverless v2 also has more compatibility with other Aurora features such as reader DB instances. You can learn about Aurora Serverless v2 in Using Aurora Serverless v2.
Why make the switch? Aurora Serverless v2 offers significant enhancements, including:
- Faster scaling: Reacts more quickly to workload changes.
- More granular capacity: Scales in smaller increments, leading to better cost optimization.
- Broader feature support: Supports more Aurora features than v1.
- Ongoing support and future enhancements: V1 will no longer get updates, V2 will.
So, how do you get from v1 to v2? There are two primary migration strategies, each with its own approach:
1. Intermediary Provisioned Approach (In-Place Conversion)
This strategy involves multiple in-place conversions. It's a more complex process where AWS handles the conversion of your Aurora Serverless v1 cluster.
- Multiple in place conversions will be done.
- This is a more complex process.
- Higher Risk as changes are applied directly to production.
[Start Migration] --> [Convert to Provisioned Mode & Upgrade Engine] --> [Add Serverless v2 Instance & Trigger Failover] --> [Post-Migration Validation & End Migration]
2. Snapshot and Restore Approach
This method lets you minimize downtime by creating a new Aurora Serverless v2 cluster from a snapshot of your v1 cluster. It's like cloning your database onto a new, upgraded system. Here's how it works:
- Create a snapshot of your Aurora Serverless v1 cluster.
- Restore that snapshot to a new Aurora Serverless v2 cluster.
- Update your application to point to the new v2 endpoint.
- Cutover and then delete the old v1 cluster.
- Cloning and restoring creates an isolated enviroment for testing.
[Start Migration & Take Final Snapshot] --> [Restore Snapshot to Serverless v2 Instance] --> [Update Application Connection Settings & Trigger Failover] --> [Validate Correctly and Monitor & End Migration]
Which strategy is right for you?
It depends on your tolerance for downtime, your comfort level with managing database snapshots, and your risk appetite.
Here's a quick summary to help you visualize the differences:
Migration Strategies Summary
| Aspect | Intermediary Provisioned Approach | Snapshot and Restore Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Process Complexity | Multiple in-place conversions; more complex steps | Cloning and restoring; isolated environment for testing |
| Risk Exposure | Higher risk as changes are applied directly to production | Lower risk; original environment remains untouched |
| Downtime | Potentially shorter if executed well; risks of brief failover | May be longer due to restore time but safer overall |
| Testing | Limited testing on live system; staging is essential | Extensive testing possible in an isolated, restored environment |
| Application Changes | Minimal if using cluster endpoint; reconfiguration might be needed if using instance endpoints | Likely required if the restored cluster endpoints differ |
| Rollback Flexibility | More challenging; may require reverting conversion steps | Clear rollback by switching back to original snapshot |
No matter which path you choose, planning is essential. Thoroughly test your migration in a non-production environment before making the switch in production.
In next blog, we'll explore each strategy in depth.
Top comments (0)