# AWS adds snapshots directly on SQL Server read replicas

_Published Monday, October 19, 2026 at 6:18 PM EDT · Infrastructure · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

Amazon Web Services says RDS for SQL Server now lets customers create database snapshots directly on read replicas without first promoting them to primary instances. Previously, snapshots were available only on standalone and primary database instances.

RDS now maintains snapshot data throughout a replica's lifecycle. AWS says this speeds the first snapshot after promotion and shortens the wait to enable Multi-AZ, improving disaster recovery planning. Customers can take manual snapshots, enable automated backups and retain automated backups after deleting a replica.

The feature covers in-region and cross-region replicas running supported SQL Server Enterprise Edition versions, including in AWS GovCloud regions. Point-in-time recovery from a read replica remains unsupported.

## Sources

- [Recent Announcements](https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2026/10/rds-sqlserver-supports-snapshots-on-read-replicas)

---
Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/kVQpfxq2anQasDw10R6Gfe
Published: 2026-10-19T22:18:29.822Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-19T07:01:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-20T01:09:02.266Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)