Managing an Un-deletable Aurora Read Replica Instance in AWS

Why Can't I Delete My Aurora Read Replica?

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Question

The testing team created Aurora Read Replica for an RDS MySQL database to evaluate the performance behavior of an Aurora instance under production loads.

After completing the evaluation, the team is unable to delete this read replica instance.

What is the cause and solution to this problem?

Answers

Explanations

Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer

A. B. C. D.

Answer: D.

Option A is incorrect because you do not need to use CLI to delete read replicas.

Option B is incorrect because delete protection on the source database does not affect deletion protection on read replicas.

Option C is incorrect because you do not need to shut down a read replica to delete it.

Option D is CORRECT because the read replica cluster must be promoted to a standalone database cluster before it can be deleted.

Reference:

https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/knowledge-center/rds-error-delete-aurora-cluster/

The correct answer is B: Deletion protection is enabled on the RDS MySQL master database. Disable deletion protection.

Explanation:

In Amazon RDS, Deletion Protection is a feature that is enabled by default on RDS instances to prevent accidental deletion of critical resources. When this feature is enabled, it protects the RDS instance and its associated resources from being deleted.

In the given scenario, the testing team is unable to delete the Aurora Read Replica instance. This can occur if the Deletion Protection feature is enabled on the RDS MySQL master database. In this case, since the read replica is associated with the master database, it cannot be deleted until Deletion Protection is disabled on the master database.

To disable Deletion Protection on the RDS MySQL master database, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Amazon RDS console.
  2. In the left navigation pane, choose "Databases".
  3. Select the RDS MySQL master database instance associated with the read replica instance.
  4. Click on the "Modify" button.
  5. Under "Additional configuration", look for "Deletion protection". If enabled, uncheck the box.
  6. Click on the "Continue" button.
  7. Review the changes and click on the "Modify DB instance" button.

Once Deletion Protection is disabled on the RDS MySQL master database, the testing team should be able to delete the Aurora Read Replica instance.

Option A is incorrect because it is not necessary to use the CLI with a specific flag to delete a read replica instance. This can also be done via the Amazon RDS console or API.

Option C is incorrect because read replica instances can be deleted even if they are active. However, if the Deletion Protection feature is enabled on the RDS MySQL master database, it can prevent deletion of the read replica instance.

Option D is incorrect because it is not applicable in this scenario. The read replica instance is not part of a DB cluster, and it does not need to be promoted to a standalone DB cluster.

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