Determining whether you are using the EC2-VPC or EC2-Classic platform - Amazon Relational Database Service
EC2-VPC platform in the consoleEC2-Classic platform in the console
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Determining whether you are using the EC2-VPC or EC2-Classic platform

Your Amazon account and the Amazon Region you choose determines which of the two RDS platforms your DB instance is created on: EC2-VPC or EC2-Classic. The type of platform determines if you have a default VPC, and which type of security group you use to provide access to your DB instance.

The legacy EC2-Classic platform is the original platform used by Amazon RDS. If you are on this platform and want to use a VPC, you must create the VPC using the Amazon VPC console or Amazon VPC API. Accounts that only support the EC2-VPC platform have a default VPC where all DB instances are created, and you must use either an EC2 or VPC security group to provide access to the DB instance.

Important

If you are a new Amazon RDS customer, if you have never created a DB instance before, or if you are creating a DB instance in an Amazon Region you have not used before, in almost all cases you are on the EC2-VPC platform and have a default VPC. Also, if your DB instance was created after 2013, it is probably in a VPC. For information about working with DB instances in a VPC, see Working with a DB instance in a VPC.

You can tell which platform your Amazon account in a given Amazon Region is using by looking at the dashboard on the RDS console or EC2 console. If you are a new Amazon RDS customer, if you have never created a DB instance before, or if you are creating a DB instance in an Amazon Region you have not used before, you might be redirected to the first-run console page and not see the home page following.

EC2-VPC platform in the console

If Supported platforms indicates only VPC, as shown following in the RDS console, your Amazon account in the current Amazon Region uses the EC2-VPC platform, and uses a default VPC.

EC2-VPC platform

Similarly, if Supported platforms indicates only VPC, as shown following in the EC2 console, your Amazon account in the current Amazon Region uses the EC2-VPC platform, and uses a default VPC.

EC2-VPC platform

In both the RDS and EC2 console, the name of the default VPC is shown below the supported platform. To provide access to a DB instance created on the EC2-VPC platform, you must create a VPC security group. For information about creating a VPC security group, see Tutorial: Create an Amazon VPC for use with a DB instance.

EC2-Classic platform in the console

In both the RDS and EC2 console, if Supported platforms indicates both EC2 and VPC, your Amazon account in the current Amazon Region uses the EC2-Classic platform, and you do not have a default VPC. To provide access to a DB instance created on the EC2-Classic platform, you must create a DB security group. For information about creating a DB security group, see Creating a DB security group.

Note

  • You can create a VPC on the EC2-Classic platform, but one is not created for you by default as it is on accounts that support the EC2-VPC platform.

  • If you want to move an existing DB instance into a VPC, you can use the Amazon Web Services Management Console to do it easily. For more information. see Moving a DB instance not in a VPC into a VPC.