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Database Upgrade Process

Follow these steps to upgrade the database:

Step 1: Prepare for Upgrade​

Create a snapshot of your PostgreSQL 13 database before upgrading:

Using AWS Console​

  1. Navigate to RDS Console → Databases
  2. Select your PostgreSQL 13 instance
  3. Click Actions → Take snapshot
  4. Enter snapshot name: pre-upgrade-snapshot-YYYYMMDD
  5. Click Take snapshot

Using AWS CLI​

aws rds create-db-snapshot \
  --db-instance-identifier your-db-instance \
  --db-snapshot-identifier pre-upgrade-snapshot-$(date +%Y%m%d)

Step 2: Upgrade RDS PostgreSQL to 16.9​

  1. Navigate to RDS Console:
    • Go to AWS Console → RDS → Databases
  2. Select Your Database Instance:
    • Click on your PostgreSQL 13 database instance
  3. Modify Database Engine:
    • Click the Modify button
    • In the Engine options section, find Engine version
    • Select 16.9 from the dropdown menu
  4. Review Modification Settings:
    • Scroll down to Scheduling of modifications
    • Choose Apply immediately for immediate upgrade, or
    • Choose Apply during the next scheduled maintenance window
  5. Apply Changes:
    • Click Continue
    • Review the summary of modifications
    • Click Modify DB instance
  6. Monitor Upgrade Progress:
    • The instance status will show "modifying"
    • Upgrade typically takes 10-30 minutes depending on database size
    • Wait for status to return to "available"

Using AWS CLI​

# Upgrade your RDS instance to PostgreSQL 16.9
aws rds modify-db-instance \
  --db-instance-identifier your-db-instance \
  --engine-version 16.9 \
  --apply-immediately

Step 3: Download Required SSL Certificate​

# Download the global CA bundle from AWS
wget https://truststore.pki.rds.amazonaws.com/global/global-bundle.pem

# OR using curl
curl -O https://truststore.pki.rds.amazonaws.com/global/global-bundle.pem

# Verify the certificate file
head -5 global-bundle.pem
# Should show: -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----