Exposing a RDS database on the internet

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Exposing a database on the internet is insecure.

A secure alternative is to set up an SSH tunnel instead, for example using 7777 (opens in a new tab).

Limitations

Aurora Serverless databases cannot be made publicly accessible.

How to

Open the RDS instance in the RDS console (opens in a new tab):

• click "Modify"
• enable "Public accessibility"
• click "Continue"
• select "Apply immediately" (do not skip this step)
• click "Modify DB Instance"

Now click the security group of the instance:

• open the "Inbound" tab
• click "Edit"
• add a rule: select "MySQL/Aurora" (or PostgreSQL) and set "Anywhere" as the source (you could also set your public IP for increased security)
• save

Connect to your database using your favorite tool. For example using mysql in the CLI:

mysql -h<endpoint> -u<root user> -p <database>

Remember to revert those changes once you are done!