AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery helps restore applications from on-premises infrastructure and other cloud environments onto AWS, with the aim of limiting downtime and data loss. It can launch recovery instances within minutes from either the latest server state or a selected earlier point in time. After recovery, data can be replicated back to the primary site so teams can fail back when ready. Recovery sources include physical servers, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and other cloud providers. The service supports applications and databases on supported Windows and Linux versions, including Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, and SAP. Recovery targets are EC2 instances in another Availability Zone or AWS Region. Teams can run recovery and failback drills without interrupting ongoing replication. Point-in-time recovery can start an operational copy from before a security incident. Replicated data uses TLS 1.2 in transit and can use Amazon EBS encryption at rest. Private replication connections can use VPN, AWS Direct Connect, or VPC peering. Post-launch steps can run Systems Manager commands or automations, and network settings can be replicated. The plan is 0.03 USD per month, billed at 0.028 USD per source server per hour; additional AWS resource charges apply.
Who it is for
AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery suits teams that need to recover supported Windows or Linux applications from physical servers, VMware, Hyper-V, or other cloud providers onto AWS. It is relevant to organizations that want point-in-time recovery, recovery drills, and a path to replicate data back to a primary site.
What is good
- Launches recovery instances within minutes from current or earlier server states.
- Supports recovery drills while replication continues.
- Recovers EC2 instances in another Availability Zone or AWS Region.
- Supports Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, and SAP workloads.
- Offers failback orchestration and test failover.
- Can replicate network settings and run post-launch Systems Manager actions.
What to know first
- There is no free plan.
- Additional AWS resource charges apply beyond the listed plan price.
- Production users are advised to have Business or Enterprise Support.
- One staging account supports up to 300 replicating servers.
Verdict
Choose AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery if you need to recover supported workloads onto EC2 and want point-in-time recovery, ongoing replication, and failback support. Look elsewhere if you need failover orchestration or a free plan; those are not included in the listed facts.
Get started with AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery
- Open the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery website.
- Choose the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery plan at 0.03 USD per month, billed at 0.028 USD per source server per hour.
- Prepare supported Windows or Linux servers from a physical environment, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or another cloud provider.
- Configure replication to AWS and select an EC2 recovery destination in another Availability Zone or Region.
- Run a test failover or recovery drill while replication continues.
Limits to know first
The plan is billed at 0.028 USD per source server per hour, and additional AWS resource charges apply. A staging account supports up to 300 replicating servers; up to 3,000 servers can replicate into one target account using multiple staging accounts.
Questions about AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery
How much does AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery cost?
The listed plan is 0.03 USD per month, billed at 0.028 USD per source server per hour. Additional AWS resource charges apply.
Is there a free plan?
No. The pricing model is paid.
Which platforms does it support?
The listed platforms are API, Linux, web, and Windows. Supported workloads include applications and databases on supported Windows and Linux versions.
Can it recover applications from other environments?
Yes. Recovery sources include physical infrastructure, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and other cloud providers.
Can teams test recovery before an incident?
Yes. It supports non-disruptive recovery and failback drills while replication continues.
Does it provide failover orchestration?
No. Failover orchestration is listed as unavailable; failback orchestration is listed as available.
AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery plans and pricing
All plansCompared on disaster recovery software
- Free plan
- No
- Failover orchestration
- No
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Supported workloads
- physical servers, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Amazon EC2, other cloud infrastructure, Windows and Linux applications, Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, SAP
- Failback orchestration
- Yes
- Test failover
- Yes
- Recovery runbooks
- Yes
