How to Upgrade an AWS Aurora Instance to an r7g Instance Type

If you’re running Amazon Aurora and want to take advantage of the Graviton3-based r7g instance types for better performance and efficiency, you might notice that sometimes the option doesn’t appear in the AWS console. Here’s a breakdown of why that happens and how to fix it.

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Why You Might Not See r7g in the Console

When modifying an Aurora instance, only certain instance types are shown in the dropdown. If you’re missing r7g options, the most common reasons are:

1. Aurora Engine Version
   • r7g instances require Aurora MySQL 3.x+ (based on MySQL 8.0) or Aurora PostgreSQL 15+.
   • Older versions, like Aurora MySQL 2.x, do not support r7g.
2. Cluster Mode
   • r7g is supported only in provisioned clusters.
   • Aurora Serverless v1 and some global database setups do not allow Graviton3-based instances.
3. Region Limitations
   • Not every AWS region offers all instance classes.
   • Make sure r7g is available in your region.

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How to Check Your Aurora Version

To determine whether your Aurora cluster supports r7g:

1. Open the RDS console.
2. Navigate to Databases and click your Aurora cluster.
3. Check the Aurora MySQL or Aurora PostgreSQL version under the instance details.

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How to Upgrade to r7g

If your version and cluster type support r7g, here’s how to upgrade:

Using the AWS Management Console

1. Open your Aurora instance in RDS.
2. Click Modify.
3. Under DB instance class, select the r7g instance type you want (e.g., db.r7g.2xlarge).
4. Choose whether to apply immediately or during the next maintenance window.
5. Click Continue, then Modify DB Instance.

⚠️ Note: Applying immediately will cause a brief downtime.

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Using the AWS CLI

The console sometimes hides options. You can try the CLI for a more direct approach:

aws rds modify-db-instance \

–db-instance-identifier your-db-instance-id \

–db-instance-class db.r7g.2xlarge \

–apply-immediately

If your instance is not compatible, AWS will return an error specifying why (e.g., unsupported engine version).

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Key Takeaways

• Only Aurora MySQL 3.x+ or Aurora PostgreSQL 15+ support r7g.
• Ensure your cluster is provisioned, not serverless.
• Check regional availability if the instance class is missing.
• Use the CLI if the console doesn’t show the instance type — it provides clearer error messages.

Upgrading to r7g can deliver better performance per dollar, thanks to AWS Graviton3 processors — but compatibility depends on your Aurora version, cluster mode, and region.