Amazon RDS for Oracle now supports replicas in Oracle multi-tenant configuration

Posted on: Jan 23, 2026

Amazon RDS for Oracle now supports database replicas for instances set up in Oracle multi-tenant configuration. Oracle multi-tenant configuration allows customers to host multiple, isolated pluggable databases in a single container database, which allows for cost reduction through consolidation and easier management. With support for replicas in Oracle multi-tenant configuration, customers can now distribute read workloads to a replica to scale workloads, or setup cross-Region replicas. In disaster recovery situations, customers can promote replicas to serve as a new standalone database, or execute a switchover to reverse roles between the primary database and the replica for a quick recovery.

To set up replicas in Oracle multi-tenant configuration, customers can create a replica in either mounted or read-only mode using the AWS management console, AWS CLI, or AWS SDK. Once a replica is set up, Amazon RDS for Oracle manages asynchronous physical replication between primary and replica database instances using Oracle Data Guard.

Amazon RDS for Oracle read replicas use Oracle Data Guard. Using mounted mode replicas require an Oracle Database Enterprise Edition (EE) license, and using read-only mode replicas require additional Oracle Active Data Guard licenses. We recommend customers to consult their Oracle licensing expert to determine Oracle licensing requirements. Refer to RDS for Oracle User Guide for more information, and Amazon RDS for Oracle pricing for available instance configurations, pricing, and region availability.