Simplifies management: Auto minor version upgrades streamline management by automatically applying low-risk security patches and bug fixes, keeping DB instances up-to-date and secure. This automation reduces manual effort and can result in lower operational costs.
Unexpected issues risk: Auto minor version upgrades may introduce compatibility issues or bugs, potentially affecting application performance. Thorough testing with the new version is advised.
Limited customization: Auto upgrades offer less control over the upgrade process and settings, you are not able to choose which specific patches or updates to apply based on your specific configuration or performance requirements.
Downtime for upgrades: Automatic upgrades incur downtime, the length of which depends on factors such as the DB engine type and the size of the database (Auto Minor Version Upgrade Downtime Considerations). Additionally, for Multi-AZ deployments, both primary and secondary DB instances are upgraded simultaneously, causing the entire database engine to shut down during the upgrade (Amazon RDS Multi-AZ Upgrade Considerations). This downtime can be minimized during manual database upgrades on some database engines using a blue/green deployment strategy (See Amazon RDS Blue/Green Deployments).
Rollback challenges: If issues arise, rolling back may result in additional downtime and data loss if not properly planned for. In some cases, minor version downgrades are not possible (Oracle minor version upgrades) and it may be necessary to restore the database from a backup or snapshot.