ApsaraDB RDS supports multiple ways to call API operations programmatically: Alibaba Cloud SDKs, Alibaba Cloud CLI, Resource Orchestration Service (ROS), Terraform, and custom HTTP integration. Use OpenAPI Explorer to explore and debug API operations interactively before building your integration.
Choose an integration method
SDKs are the recommended approach — they handle request signing, timeouts, and retries automatically, and return structured response objects.
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Alibaba Cloud SDK | Call API operations directly from your application code. Available for Java, Python, Go, Node.js, TypeScript, PHP, C#, and C++. |
| Alibaba Cloud CLI | Run aliyun commands to manage RDS resources from a terminal or script. |
| ROS | Define RDS resources in a template and let ROS provision and configure them automatically. |
| Terraform | Manage RDS resources using infrastructure-as-code workflows. |
| Custom HTTP integration | Construct raw HTTPS requests and sign them manually. Use this only when none of the above options fit your environment. |
OpenAPI Explorer
OpenAPI Explorer is a browser-based tool for exploring and testing ApsaraDB RDS API operations. It provides:
Interactive debugging — call API operations and inspect request/response details in real time
SDK code generation — generates ready-to-use SDK sample code for each operation
Intelligent search — find operations by keyword
Call statistics and error diagnosis — monitor usage and troubleshoot errors
For an introduction to the Alibaba Cloud API model, see What is an API?
API version
ApsaraDB RDS uses a single recommended API version: 2014-08-15. This is a version identifier, not a date.
| Version | Status |
|---|---|
| 2014-08-15 | Recommended |
Debugging entrypoint: Debug API
Endpoints
Use the endpoint that matches the region of your RDS instance to reduce latency.
Public endpoint — accessible from anywhere:
rds.<region-id>.aliyuncs.comVPC endpoint — accessible only within the same virtual private cloud (VPC):
rds-vpc.<region-id>.aliyuncs.comReplace <region-id> with your instance's region ID. For example, for the China (Zhangjiakou) region:
| Type | Endpoint |
|---|---|
| Public | rds.cn-zhangjiakou.aliyuncs.com |
| VPC | rds-vpc.cn-zhangjiakou.aliyuncs.com |
VPC endpoints offer lower latency and higher security than public endpoints because traffic stays within the VPC network. For a full list of endpoints, see Endpoints.
Supported identities
OpenAPI Explorer uses your logged-in identity to call API operations. Alibaba Cloud accounts have unrestricted access to all API operations, which creates security risks. Use a RAM user or RAM role instead, and grant only the permissions required for your use case.
| Identity | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alibaba Cloud account | Yes | Not recommended — full access creates security risks |
| RAM user | Yes | Recommended |
| RAM role | Yes | Recommended |
To grant a RAM user the permissions needed to manage RDS instances, see Authorize a RAM user to manage ApsaraDB RDS instances.
References:
Integration methods
Alibaba Cloud SDK
SDKs are available for Java, Python, Go, Node.js, TypeScript, PHP, C#, and C++. Each SDK handles request signing, timeout management, and retries, and returns structured response objects.
To get started:
Find the SDK for your language on .
Install the SDK and configure your credentials.
Call ApsaraDB RDS API operations from your application.
For installation instructions and supported languages, see Alibaba Cloud SDKs.
Alibaba Cloud CLI
Alibaba Cloud CLI lets you call ApsaraDB RDS API operations using aliyun commands. Use it for scripting, automation, or quick one-off operations.
For setup and command reference, see What is Alibaba Cloud CLI? and Generate a command.
ROS
ROS lets you describe ApsaraDB RDS instances and related resources — such as Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances — in a template. ROS then creates and configures all resources in the template automatically.
For supported resource types and properties, see ApsaraDB RDS resources supported by ROS. For an introduction to ROS, see What is ROS?
Terraform
Use the Alibaba Cloud Terraform provider to manage ApsaraDB RDS resources with standard Terraform workflows. For configuration details, see Terraform.
Custom HTTP integration
To call the API directly over HTTPS without an SDK or CLI, construct requests manually and sign each request. For the request format and signing mechanism, see Request syntax and signature method V3.
Usage notes
If an API call returns an error, check the error code against the Public error codes reference to identify the cause.
For self-service diagnosis, paste the request ID or SDK error details into .