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Amazon Aurora DSQL vs Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database

Amazon Aurora DSQL: Serverless, active-active distributed SQL on AWS with PostgreSQL compatibility and no instances to size. Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database: Managed horizontal sharding for Aurora PostgreSQL: one endpoint over a serverless group of shards.

key differences

  • Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Amazon Aurora DSQL (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only Amazon Aurora DSQL has compression, online schema changes.
  • Only Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database has json.

choose amazon-aurora-dsql for

  • +New AWS-native microservices needing zero-ops relational storage
  • +Multi-Region active-active user, order and entitlement data
  • +Serverless apps on Lambda with spiky traffic
  • +Ledgers and counters that must never lose a committed write

best at · OLTP, Metadata, Ledger

choose amazon-aurora-limitless for

  • +Very high write-rate Postgres workloads on AWS
  • +Multi-tenant SaaS sharded by tenant ID
  • +Replacing application-level Postgres sharding
  • +Large ledgers and event tables beyond one writer

best at · OLTP, Metadata, Ledger

Amazon Aurora DSQLServerless, active-active distributed SQL on AWS with PostgreSQL compatibility and no instances to size.
Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless DatabaseManaged horizontal sharding for Aurora PostgreSQL: one endpoint over a serverless group of shards.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Document
Type
Managed service
Managed service
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services
First release
2025
2024
Latest version
–
–
License
ProprietaryProprietary (AWS service)
ProprietaryProprietary (AWS service)
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
14.7
0.8
Rank
#227
#602
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
1
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Serverless, Multi primary
Distributed, Serverless, Shared storage
deployment
Self-hosted
—
—
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
✓
✓
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS
AWS
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
—
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
—
Encryption at rest
✓
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
✓
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
SQL
SQL, PL/pgSQL
Client languages
Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#, Ruby
Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C#, Ruby, PHP
Best for
OLTP, Metadata, Ledger
OLTP, Metadata, Ledger
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Amazon Aurora DSQL vs Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database: FAQ

What is the difference between Amazon Aurora DSQL and Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database?

Amazon Aurora DSQL: Serverless, active-active distributed SQL on AWS with PostgreSQL compatibility and no instances to size. Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database: Managed horizontal sharding for Aurora PostgreSQL: one endpoint over a serverless group of shards. Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Amazon Aurora DSQL (≤ 1 PB). Only Amazon Aurora DSQL has compression, online schema changes. Only Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database has json.

When should I choose Amazon Aurora DSQL over Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database?

Choose Amazon Aurora DSQL for new AWS-native microservices needing zero-ops relational storage; multi-Region active-active user, order and entitlement data; and serverless apps on Lambda with spiky traffic. Choose Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database for very high write-rate Postgres workloads on AWS, multi-tenant SaaS sharded by tenant ID and replacing application-level Postgres sharding.

Is Amazon Aurora DSQL or Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database more popular?

Amazon Aurora DSQL ranks #227 on the WhichDB Score (14.7/100) and Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database ranks #602 (0.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Amazon Aurora DSQL and Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database open source?

No. Amazon Aurora DSQL is proprietary, closed-source software. No. Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Limitless Database is proprietary, closed-source software.