Navigating Managed Databases for Over a Decade as a Non-DBA

Explore over a decade of practical experience managing AWS managed databases from a non-DBA perspective in this 37-minute conference talk from Conf42 SRE 2025. Learn about the evolution from early RDS implementations through modern Aurora deployments, covering essential topics including storage optimization strategies, backup cost management, and Graviton migration benefits. Discover practical solutions for common database challenges, understand IOPS and storage options for performance tuning, and gain insights into blue-green deployment strategies. Compare RDS versus Aurora through real-world experiments and case studies, while mastering instance optimization techniques that don't require deep database administration expertise. Acquire actionable takeaways for site reliability engineers and developers who need to effectively manage database infrastructure without traditional DBA backgrounds.