Designed and implemented a production-ready framework for migrating a 500GB PostgreSQL database to Aurora PostgreSQL with zero downtime using AWS DMS, Terraform, and automated validation.
The Challenge
The client operated a self-managed PostgreSQL database serving 50,000 daily active users. The team needed to migrate to Aurora PostgreSQL for managed operations and better scalability, but could not accept any downtime during the transition.
Our Approach
Implemented a blue-green database migration strategy using AWS Database Migration Service with automated validation, cutover orchestration, and rollback capabilities. The solution was built entirely with Infrastructure as Code for reproducibility.
Implementation Timeline
Total Duration: 4 weeks development, 12 minutes production cutover
Infrastructure Foundation
1 week
- Modular Terraform for DMS, Aurora, networking, monitoring
- Multi-AZ replication instance configuration
- Security group and network rules setup
- CloudWatch dashboards and alerting
Validation Framework
1 week
- Row count comparison between source and target
- MD5 checksum verification of sample data
- Sequence value synchronization checks
- DMS health and replication lag monitoring
Cutover Orchestration
1 week
- Multi-phase cutover script with state persistence
- Automatic rollback capability at each phase
- Connection draining and final sync procedures
- Post-cutover validation checks
CI/CD Integration
1 week
- GitHub Actions workflows for all operations
- Manual approval gates for production cutover
- Secrets management via AWS Secrets Manager
- Artifact preservation for audit trail
Technical Architecture
Blue-green database migration architecture with continuous replication, automated validation, and orchestrated cutover for zero-downtime transitions.
Results & Impact
Business Benefits
“The migration was completely transparent to our users. We went from constantly worrying about the database to not thinking about it at all. The tooling delivered has become part of our standard infrastructure operations.”