# Enabling cross-Region automated backups for Amazon RDS
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You can enable backup replication on new or existing DB instances using the Amazon RDS console. You can also use the `start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication` AWS CLI command or the `StartDBInstanceAutomatedBackupsReplication` RDS API operation. You can replicate up to 20 backups to each destination AWS Region for each AWS account.

**Note**  
To be able to replicate automated backups, make sure to enable them. For more information, see [Enabling automated backups](USER_WorkingWithAutomatedBackups.Enabling.md).

## Console
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You can enable backup replication for a new or existing DB instance:
+ For a new DB instance, enable it when you launch the instance. For more information, see [Settings for DB instances](USER_CreateDBInstance.Settings.md).
+ For an existing DB instance, use the following procedure.

**To enable backup replication for an existing DB instance**

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the Amazon RDS console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/rds/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/rds/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Automated backups**.

1. On the **Current Region** tab, choose the DB instance for which you want to enable backup replication.

1. For **Actions**, choose **Manage cross-Region replication**.

1. Under **Backup replication**, choose **Enable replication to another AWS Region**.

1. Choose the **Destination Region**.

1. Choose the **Replicated backup retention period**.

1. If you've enabled encryption on the source DB instance, choose the **AWS KMS key** for encrypting the backups or enter a key ARN.

1. Choose **Save**.

In the source Region, replicated backups are listed on the **Current Region** tab of the **Automated backups** page. In the destination Region, replicated backups are listed on the **Replicated backups** tab of the **Automated backups** page.

## AWS CLI
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Enable backup replication by using the [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/rds/start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/rds/start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication.html) AWS CLI command.

The following CLI example replicates automated backups from a DB instance in the US West (Oregon) Region to the US East (N. Virginia) Region. It also encrypts the replicated backups, using an AWS KMS key in the destination Region.

**To enable backup replication**
+ Run one of the following commands.

  For Linux, macOS, or Unix:

  ```
  aws rds start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication \
  --region us-east-1 \
  --source-db-instance-arn "arn:aws:rds:us-west-2:123456789012:db:mydatabase" \
  --kms-key-id "arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE" \
  --backup-retention-period 7
  ```

  For Windows:

  ```
  aws rds start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication ^
  --region us-east-1 ^
  --source-db-instance-arn "arn:aws:rds:us-west-2:123456789012:db:mydatabase" ^
  --kms-key-id "arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE" ^
  --backup-retention-period 7
  ```

  The `--source-region` option is required when you encrypt backups between the AWS GovCloud (US-East) and AWS GovCloud (US-West) Regions. For `--source-region`, specify the AWS Region of the source DB instance.

  If `--source-region` isn't specified, make sure to specify a `--pre-signed-url` value. A *presigned URL* is a URL that contains a Signature Version 4 signed request for the `start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication` command that is called in the source AWS Region. To learn more about the `pre-signed-url` option, see [ start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/rds/start-db-instance-automated-backups-replication.html) in the *AWS CLI Command Reference*.

## RDS API
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Enable backup replication by using the [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/APIReference/API_StartDBInstanceAutomatedBackupsReplication.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/APIReference/API_StartDBInstanceAutomatedBackupsReplication.html) RDS API operation with the following parameters:
+ `Region` (if you aren't calling the API operation from the destination Region)
+ `SourceDBInstanceArn`
+ `BackupRetentionPeriod`
+ `KmsKeyId` (optional)
+ `PreSignedUrl` (required if you use `KmsKeyId`)

**Note**  
If you encrypt the backups, you must also include a presigned URL. For more information on presigned URLs, see [Authenticating Requests: Using Query Parameters (AWS Signature Version 4)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/API/sigv4-query-string-auth.html) in the *Amazon Simple Storage Service API Reference* and [Signature Version 4 signing process](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/signature-version-4.html) in the *AWS General Reference*.