Introduction

FlashGrid Cluster and the Oracle Database @ AWS service are two distinct solutions that enable AWS cloud customers to run Oracle Databases. Each has advantages in different use cases. The comparison table below helps AWS customers select the most appropriate one for their requirements. 

Disclaimer

The Oracle Database @ AWS information is provided for reference only and may contain errors. 

Comparison

FlashGrid Cluster

Oracle Database
@AWS

Key advantages

Optimal for mission-critical transaction processing with database uptime SLA of 99.99%, 99.999%, or higher.

 

Maximum uptime with Multi-AZ clustering.

 

Maximum data durability with all-flash storage and two levels of mirroring.

 

Agility (based on AWS EC2).

 

Proven and available in all AWS regions since 2017.

Optimal for extra-large (100+ TB) DWH workloads.

 

Exadata proprietary DWH features (Smart Scan, HCC)

 

Cheaper storage capacity with spinning HDD.

Solution type

Virtual clustered appliance hosted on native AWS EC2 instances and EBS storage volumes

Virtual clustered appliance hosted on dedicated Exadata infrastructure

Who manages VMs, OS, and databases?

Customer

Customer

Oracle RAC option

Yes

Yes

Oracle Failover HA option

Yes (available for single instance databases)

Yes (requires RAC One Node)

Oracle Enterprise Edition

Yes

Yes

Oracle Standard Edition (including SEHA)

Yes

No

Database node software updates

Controlled by customer.
(including DB, GI, OS, FlashGrid software)

Controlled by customer.
(including DB, GI, OS software)

Infrastructure software updates

AWS infrastructure software updates are managed by AWS and are fully transparent.

Exadata infrastructure software updates are managed by Oracle.

 

Exadata infrastructure software updates may require patching or upgrading GI and/or DB software.  See footnote 1 in Oracle Release Schedule of Current Database Releases (Doc ID 742060.1)

Failed hardware replacement

AWS automatically moves affected VMs to new physical hosts.

 

AWS automatically and transparently handles replacement of failed disk storage hardware.

Storage server, HDD, and SSD hardware is exposed to the customer. Customer may need to take certain actions when the hardware fails and needs to be replaced.

Data center fault tolerance

Multi-AZ clustering protects against data center failures.

No Multi-AZ clustering. Databases exposed to data center failures. Must rely on data replication to a different AZ or region.

 

Some functionality (control plane, backups, DR replication, etc.) depends on OCI parent region availability.

Storage reliability and durability

All-flash storage with AWS EBS volumes.

 

Additional 2-way or 3-way mirroring across availability zones.

 

Durability:

 

  • >99.9996% with 2-way mirroring
  • >99.9999992% with 3-way mirroring

Spinning disks have lower durability than all-flash storage. No durability specifications available.

 

3-way mirroring within a single server rack.

Storage capacity and cost

Flexible capacity from 1 to 1000+ TB usable.

Higher cost per TB due to the exclusive use of flash storage for consistent performance and two levels (EBS and Oracle ASM) of mirroring.

Minimum of 190 TB usable (assumes Quarter-rack Exadata).

 

Lower cost per TB due to using spinning HDD.

 

Lower cost per TB when using HCC (for DWH only).

Agility

Instant on-demand deployment, usage, and resizing.

Based on native AWS EC2 instances and EBS storage volumes.

Maturity

In production use since 2017

Generally available since July 2025

Available in AWS Regions

All (including Gov Cloud, China)

Only us-east-1 and us-west-2 as of 2025-09-17

Legacy database versions 11.2, 12.1, 12.2

Available

Existing information is unclear.

 

Upgrade Support may be required 

Cloud infra expertise required for maintenance.

AWS expertise only

Oracle Cloud expertise in addition to AWS expertise

Oracle licensing

BYOL

BYOL or PAYG

Conclusions

AWS customers who require true cloud agility and/or maximum uptime SLA for mission-critical Oracle Database transaction processing are best served by FlashGrid Cluster because: 

  1. It supports multi-AZ configuration and utilizes highly durable AWS EBS storage.  
  2. It is built from native AWS EC2 instances and EBS storage volumes available in all AWS regions. 
  3. It is a mature solution that has been running production Oracle workloads on AWS since 2017. 

Customers who have large data warehouse databases exceeding 100 TB and the required Oracle Cloud expertise in-house may benefit from Oracle Database@AWS once it is available in the target region(s).

Learn more

For more information, please contact FlashGrid at info@flashgrid.io



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