SQL Server on AWS EC2

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Our visitors often compare SQL Server on AWS EC2 with SQL Server on Azure VM and SQL Server On-Premises.

Deployment and Management
Deployment	User deploys an EC2 VM and installs SQL (AWS provides pre-built SQL AMIs)– faster than on-prem, but manual SQL config required.
Management	Fully self-managed: you handle OS/SQL patches, backups, monitoring.
Customization	Maximum – full OS control, any SQL version/settings, install any software.
Use case	When full control is needed in AWS (e.g., custom configurations or unsupported features) ; lift-and-shift with minimal cloud modifications.

Maintenance and Operations
Maintenance responsibility	You/your DBAs – AWS doesn’t patch your EC2 instances or SQL (user schedules and applies updates).
Operational control	Full sysadmin rights on SQL and admin on OS – complete freedom (and responsibility).
Backups	Must be set up by user (e.g., backup to S3 or EBS, or use AWS Backup service); automated backup = none by default.

Scalability and Performance
Scalability	Vertical: change EC2 instance type (manual, downtime); Horizontal: add more VMs and configure clustering or load splitting manually (no built-in auto-scale).
Performance	Can be very high (depends on instance and EBS setup): e.g., EC2 with Provisioned IOPS SSD can hit tens of thousands of IOPS; you can tune everything (Storage cache, TempDB on instance store, etc.).
Elasticity	No native auto-scaling – fixed resources unless manually changed; you’d need custom scripts or AWS Auto Scaling Groups (not typical for DB VMs) to simulate elasticity.

Features and Capabilities
SQL Server version	Any version you want (you install it). AWS SQL AMIs typically offer 2016–2019 and now 2022, but you could install an older one manually if needed (not recommended, but possible).
SQL feature support	All features supported – it's a full SQL Server. (If Windows, features like SSRS/SSAS need separate installation but can be on the same VM or another.) No artificial restrictions – you can even enable unsupported stuff at your own risk.
Cross-database queries	Yes, you can query across DBs on the same instance or use linked servers between instances – same as normal SQL.
Custom software	Yes – install anything on the VM (e.g., anti-virus, monitoring agents, custom CLR assemblies in SQL, etc.). You have OS access to do so.

Network and Security
Network configuration	Runs in AWS VPC – you control subnet placement, security groups, routing (it’s like any other VM). You can give it a public IP or keep it private. It integrates with on-prem via VPN/Direct Connect seamlessly.
Security	You manage security: enable TDE if needed (with your own key or certificate), use AWS KMS for volume encryption (just a checkbox on EBS), configure Windows Firewall or AWS Security Groups. Compliance depends on your configuration – AWS provides baseline (e.g., you can use AWS Config/Audits, but it’s on you to implement security best practices).
Authentication	Windows Auth (AD) and SQL Auth both supported – it’s just a normal SQL Server in a Windows environment. You’d typically join the EC2 to your domain to use integrated auth.

High Availability and Disaster Recovery
High availability	Must be configured by user (e.g., Always On AG across two EC2s in different AZs). EC2 itself can be put in an Auto-Recovery, but that’s infrastructure-level. True HA = you set up clustering or AG, which is complex but doable (Launch Wizard can assist).
Disaster recovery	User-defined: e.g., set up an async AG to a second region’s EC2, or do periodic backups to an offsite location and plan for restore. AWS doesn’t automatically replicate EC2-based SQL to another region – you must architect it.

Pricing and Licensing
Pricing	Pay for EC2 VM + storage + bandwidth. E.g., $2.0k/month for an 8vCPU VM with SQL Std license. If BYOL, you pay cloud costs ($700) and use your own license (~$1.3k amortized) separately. Reserved Instances can cut EC2 cost ~30-50%.
Licensing model	License-Included or BYOL. Can use on-demand hourly (with Windows/SQL licensing bundled) or bring your own licenses (requires Software Assurance for mobility). BYOL on EC2 can run on Dedicated Hosts or via License Mobility on shared tenancy.

Pricing Comparison of Database Configuration
8vCore + 4TB Data size + Backup, Single Instance	~$2,000/month (license-included Std) for m5.2xlarge + 4TB gp3 on AWS. BYOL could lower cost if you already own a license. On-prem roughly equivalent ~$1k (Std) to $3k (Ent) when amortized, but cloud includes hardware + management overhead.
8vCore + 4TB Data size + Backup + DR/HA	EC2: ~$4,000/month for two instances (Multi-AZ).

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