AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery
AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery recovers on-premises and cloud-based applications on AWS to minimize downtime and data loss.
What AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery is
AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery recovers on-premises and cloud-based applications on AWS to minimize downtime and data loss. It can launch recovery instances within minutes from the latest server state or a previous point in time, then replicate data back to a primary site for failback. Recovery sources include physical infrastructure, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and other cloud providers; destinations include EC2 instances in another Availability Zone or AWS Region. Supported workloads include applications and databases on supported Windows and Linux versions, including Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, and SAP. Teams can run non-disruptive recovery and failback drills while replication continues. Point-in-time recovery can launch an operational copy from before a security incident. Replicated data uses TLS 1.2 in transit and can use Amazon EBS encryption at rest. The listed price is $0.03 a month, billed at $0.028 per source server per hour; additional AWS resource charges apply. AWS recommends Business or Enterprise Support for production workloads using the service.
Good
- Recovery can use the latest state or a prior point in time.
- Supports non-disruptive recovery and failback drills.
- Can recover to another Availability Zone or AWS Region.
- Private replication options include VPN and Direct Connect.
Watch out
- Additional AWS resource charges apply.
- Supports up to 300 servers in one staging account.
- AWS recommends Business or Enterprise Support for production workloads.
Who it suits
It suits organizations recovering supported Windows or Linux workloads from on-premises infrastructure or other clouds to AWS. It may also suit teams that need recovery drills and failback while replication continues.
Verdict
AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery provides recovery, testing, and failback capabilities for supported workloads moving to AWS. Review the per-server charge, additional resource costs, scale limits, and support recommendation when assessing it for production.
Plans and prices
From AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery | $0.03 a month | Pricing includes continuous data replication, test launches, recovery launches, and point-in-time recovery; additional AWS resource charges apply · $0.028 per source server per hour |
The facts
Each one read from AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Agent limits
- The installation guide states a maximum of 64 TiB per volume and 63 volumes per source server in its current requirements page.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Agent requirements
- The replication agent requires 64-bit x86_64 systems, or arm64 Linux only on AWS Graviton EC2, plus IAM credentials and outbound TCP 443 access.checked 21 Oct 2026
- API and SDK
- The public DRS API exposes operations for replication templates, launch templates, recovery plans, source networks and recovery instances; Boto3 provides a drs client.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Automated actions
- Post-launch actions can run AWS Systems Manager commands or automations, with predefined options such as installing a CloudWatch agent.checked 4 Oct 2026
- AWS destinations
- AWS DRS can recover EC2 instances in another Availability Zone or AWS Region.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Compliance scope
- AWS lists AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery as in scope for SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 assurance programs.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- AWS publishes a user guide, API reference, installation procedures, operating-system matrices, networking requirements, FAQs and release notes.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- Replication traffic uses TLS 1.2 or later, while staging and recovery EBS volumes use AWS KMS encryption by default or a customer-managed key.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Existing-instance recovery
- Recovery can target an original or predefined existing EC2 instance instead of creating a new one.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Failback
- After a disruption, recovered workloads can replicate back to the original environment and fail back when ready.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Fast recovery mode
- A July 2026 release added Fast recovery mode, which skips conversion and launches directly from replicated snapshots when the agent requirement is met.checked 21 Oct 2026
- IPv6
- An April 2026 release added IPv6 support for replication and control-plane connections in Regions where DRS and EC2 support IPv6.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Launch management
- Launch management settings can be applied as defaults to new servers or changed in bulk for existing servers.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: G2 reviewers
- G2 reviewers report pricing complexity, AWS ecosystem dependence, slow initial replication, setup difficulty for nontechnical users, support delays and RTO/RPO limitations.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: PeerSpot reviewers
- PeerSpot reviewers request better monitoring and reporting, clearer cost visibility, simpler setup, improved interface and faster support; one reviewer reported failback failure.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: source coverage
- A PeerSpot reviewer said the service did not support all of their backup types in a MongoDB-oriented use case.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Network recovery
- AWS DRS can replicate network settings including subnet CIDRs, security groups, route tables, internet gateways, and network ACLs.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Network replication
- The service can replicate VPC subnet CIDRs, security groups, route tables, internet gateways and network ACL configuration.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Non-disruptive drills
- AWS DRS supports recovery and failback drills that do not stop ongoing replication or affect the source application.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Notable news
- On August 27, 2026, AWS announced Recovery Plans for sequential multi-server recovery and drills with no additional charge beyond standard DRS usage.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Point-in-time recovery
- Recovery can use the latest replicated state or a selected earlier point in time.checked 21 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2006checked 28 Sep 2026
- Maker facts
- Amazon Web Services launched in 2006, is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and lists more than 10,001 employees on LinkedIn.checked 21 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Linux installation prerequisites
- Linux installation requires root or sudo, at least 4 GB free on /, 500 MB on /tmp, matching kernel headers, gcc and make, and an executable /tmp.checked 21 Oct 2026
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