Shared instance types for RDS SQL Server Basic Edition
RDS SQL Server Basic Edition now offers shared instance types. For the same CPU and memory configuration, these new instance types are more cost-effective than dedicated entry-level, regular dedicated, and general-purpose instance types, making them suitable for a wider range of business scenarios. For example, you can save up to 81% on the monthly cost of a Standard Edition instance with 2 vCPUs and 8 GB of memory.
Use cases
Shared instance types are ideal for the following scenarios, offering sufficient performance for basic business needs at an affordable price.
Building small and medium-sized websites
Development and testing
Lightweight applications
Availability date
November 23, 2023
Available regions
China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Nanjing - Local Region - Being Discontinued), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Chengdu), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), and China (Fuzhou - Local Region - Being Discontinued).
For the latest information, see the buy page.
Available instance types
Web edition
Instance edition | Instance edition and family | Instance type code | CPU and memory | Maximum connections | Maximum IOPS | Storage space |
|
| mssql.share1.medium.w1 | 2 vCPUs, 2 GB | Unlimited | See the Primary Instance Type List | 20 GB to 4,000 GB |
mssql.share2.medium.w1 | 2 vCPUs, 4 GB | |||||
mssql.share4.medium.w1 | 2 vCPUs, 8 GB | |||||
mssql.share2.large.w1 | 4 vCPUs, 8 GB | |||||
mssql.share4.large.w1 | 4 vCPUs, 16 GB | |||||
mssql.share2.xlarge.w1 | 8 vCPUs, 16 GB | |||||
mssql.share4.xlarge.w1 | 8 vCPUs, 32 GB |
Standard edition
Instance edition | Instance edition and family | Instance type code | CPU and memory | Maximum connections | Maximum IOPS | Storage space |
|
| mssql.share2.medium.s1 | 2 vCPUs, 4 GB | Unlimited | See the Primary Instance Type List | 20 GB to 4,000 GB |
mssql.share4.medium.s1 | 2 vCPUs, 8 GB | |||||
mssql.share2.large.s1 | 4 vCPUs, 8 GB | |||||
mssql.share4.large.s1 | 4 vCPUs, 16 GB | |||||
mssql.share2.xlarge.s1 | 8 vCPUs, 16 GB | |||||
mssql.share4.xlarge.s1 | 8 vCPUs, 32 GB |
The Basic Edition is not available for RDS SQL Server 2014 Standard Edition instances that use the pay-as-you-go billing method.
Enterprise edition
Instance edition | Instance edition and family | Instance type code | CPU and memory | Maximum connections | Maximum IOPS | Storage space |
2016 Enterprise Edition |
| mssql.share2.medium.e1 | 2 vCPUs, 4 GB | Unlimited | See the Primary Instance Type List | 20 GB to 4,000 GB |
mssql.share4.medium.e1 | 2 vCPUs, 8 GB | |||||
mssql.share2.large.e1 | 4 vCPUs, 8 GB | |||||
mssql.share4.large.e1 | 4 vCPUs, 16 GB | |||||
mssql.share2.xlarge.e1 | 8 vCPUs, 16 GB | |||||
mssql.share4.xlarge.e1 | 8 vCPUs, 32 GB |
Price comparison
The following tables show the monthly prices (excluding storage costs) for shared instance types in the Basic Edition, using the China (Hangzhou) region as an example. Prices may vary by region. For exact pricing, see the buy page.
Web edition
Shared Instance type code | CPU and memory | Monthly price | Dedicated (entry-level) Instance type code | Monthly price | Monthly savings |
mssql.share1.medium.w1 | 2 vCPUs, 2 GB | 54 | - | - | - |
mssql.share2.medium.w1 | 2 vCPUs, 4 GB | 130 | mssql.u2.medium.w1 | 187 | 30% |
mssql.share4.medium.w1 | 2 vCPUs, 8 GB | 194 | mssql.u4.medium.w1 | 240 | 19% |
mssql.share2.large.w1 | 4 vCPUs, 8 GB | 259 | mssql.u2.large.w1 | 374 | 31% |
mssql.share4.large.w1 | 4 vCPUs, 16 GB | 389 | mssql.u4.large.w1 | 480 | 19% |
mssql.share2.xlarge.w1 | 8 vCPUs, 16 GB | 518 | mssql.u2.xlarge.w1 | 748 | 31% |
mssql.share4.xlarge.w1 | 8 vCPUs, 32 GB | 778 | mssql.u4.xlarge.w1 | 960 | 19% |
Standard edition
Shared Instance type code | CPU and memory | Monthly price | Dedicated Instance type code | Monthly price | Monthly savings |
mssql.share2.medium.s1 | 2 vCPUs, 4 GB | 268 | - | - | - |
mssql.share4.medium.s1 | 2 vCPUs, 8 GB | 328 | mssql.x4.medium.s1 | 1771 | 81% |
mssql.share2.large.s1 | 4 vCPUs, 8 GB | 535 | - | - | - |
mssql.share4.large.s1 | 4 vCPUs, 16 GB | 656 | mssql.x4.large.s1 | 3493 | 81% |
mssql.share2.xlarge.s1 | 8 vCPUs, 16 GB | 1070 | - | - | - |
mssql.share4.xlarge.s1 | 8 vCPUs, 32 GB | 1312 | mssql.x4.xlarge.s1 | 6936 | 81% |
Enterprise edition
Shared Instance type code | CPU and memory | Monthly price | Dedicated/General-purpose Instance type code | Monthly price | Monthly savings |
mssql.share2.medium.e1 | 2 vCPUs, 4 GB | 670 | rds.mssql.s2.large | 1100 | 39% |
mssql.share4.medium.e1 | 2 vCPUs, 8 GB | 965 | mssql.x4.medium.e1 | 4502 | 79% |
mssql.share2.large.e1 | 4 vCPUs, 8 GB | 1340 | rds.mssql.s3.large | 2200 | 39% |
mssql.share4.large.e1 | 4 vCPUs, 16 GB | 1930 | mssql.x4.large.e1 | 8962 | 78% |
mssql.share2.xlarge.e1 | 8 vCPUs, 16 GB | 2680 | rds.mssql.c1.large | 4400 | 39% |
mssql.share4.xlarge.e1 | 8 vCPUs, 32 GB | 3860 | mssql.x4.xlarge.e1 | 17870 | 78% |
Specifications starting with rds.mssql and ending with .large are general-purpose specifications, and those starting with mssql and ending with .e1 are dedicated specifications.
Limitations
storage type: When you create an instance of this type, you must select either an ESSD PL1 disk or a high-performance disk as the storage type.
How to purchase
Visit the RDS buy page. Select a supported instance version, choose Basic Edition for Product Series, select ESSD PL1 disk or high-performance disk for Storage Type, and choose Shared for Instance Type. You can then select the desired instance type from the list. For instructions on creating an instance and for parameter descriptions, see Create an RDS SQL Server instance.
We recommend purchasing an RDS Compute SCU to offset the costs of your pay-as-you-go compute resources.
Related documentation
RDS SQL Server also offers dedicated entry-level instance types for Web Edition ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses and individual developers. Compared to regular dedicated instance types, these instances can reduce monthly costs by up to 41.5%.
For more information about instance families, see the instance family documentation.
For a complete list of available RDS SQL Server instance types, see RDS SQL Server instance types.
To learn more about the features supported by each RDS SQL Server version, see the feature overview.