How does Amazon Aurora differ from traditional databases?

Amazon Aurora is distinguished from traditional databases primarily because it is specifically designed for the cloud, offering compatibility with MySQL and PostgreSQL. This cloud-native architecture allows Aurora to take full advantage of the scalability, reliability, and performance attributes that cloud environments provide.

Unlike traditional databases that often require on-premises hardware or specific configurations, Aurora dynamically adjusts resources in response to workload demands, ensuring efficient performance without the need for manual intervention. Its design leverages cloud capabilities such as automated backups, replication, and failover, which enhances its overall resilience and scalability.

Additionally, being compatible with popular database engines like MySQL and PostgreSQL means that developers can easily migrate existing applications to Aurora without extensive rewrites, while still benefiting from Aurora's high performance and low-latency operations. This compatibility simplifies the integration of Aurora into existing architectures.

In summary, the primary difference lies in its cloud optimization and compatibility, which sets Amazon Aurora apart from traditional databases.