The recommended solution is Option B: Use Amazon Aurora MySQL with Multi-AZ Aurora Replicas for production. Use database cloning to create the staging database on-demand. To alleviate the application latency issue, the recommended solution is to use Amazon Aurora MySQL with Multi-AZ Aurora Replicas for production, and use database cloning to create the staging database on-demand. This allows the development team to continue using the staging environment without delay, while also providing elasticity and availability for the production application. Therefore, Options A, C, and D are not recommended

Aura MySQL is very fast in comparison to RDS for creating a clone of DB, you can create a even clone of a clone while you still work on your own clone, this will allow the dev team continue working during cloning step. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-aurora-fast-database-cloning/

Answer B: Few Points about Aurora Database Cloning: • Create a new Aurora DB Cluster from an existing one • Faster than snapshot & restore • Uses copy-on-write protocol • Very fast & cost-effective • Useful to create a “staging” database from a “production” database without impacting the production database

When the question did not say about "cost efficient", always choose Aurora MySQL > RDS MySQL, because AWS can earn more money in Aurora

I'll go for B AD: looks time consuming as mysqldump is like a table dump C: You cannot use a standby for anything apart from read-only database. This would be an option if dev team was specifically using it for read-only mode. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/readable-standby-instances-in-amazon-rds-multi-az-deployments-a-new-high-availability-option/

B. With Aurora, you can create a clone of the production database quickly and efficiently, without the need for time-consuming backup and restore processes. The development team can spin up the staging database on-demand, eliminating delays and allowing them to continue using the staging environment without interruption.

B is the correct

No mention of cost, so technically both options B & C would work. C. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/readable-standby-instances-in-amazon-rds-multi-az-deployments-a-new-high-availability-option/#:~:text=read%20replicas.-,Amazon%20RDS,-now%20offers%20Multi B.https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/AuroraUserGuide/Aurora.Managing.Clone.html#:~:text=cloning%20works.-,Aurora%20cloning,-is%20especially%20useful

Option B is the best solution that meets all the requirements: Use Amazon Aurora MySQL with Multi-AZ Aurora Replicas for production. Use database cloning to create the staging database on-demand. The key requirements are to: Alleviate application latency caused by database exports Give development immediate access to a staging environment Aurora Multi-AZ replicas improves availability and provides fast failover. Database cloning creates an instantly available copy of the production database that can be used for staging. This avoids any export or restoration del

A. Populating the staging database through a backup and restore process using the mysqldump utility would still result in delays and impact application latency. B. With Aurora, you can create a clone of the production database quickly and efficiently, without the need for time-consuming backup and restore processes. The development team can spin up the staging database on-demand, eliminating delays and allowing them to continue using the staging environment without interruption. C. Using the standby instance for the staging database would not provide the development team with the ability to use the staging environment without delay. The standby instance is designed for failover purposes and may not be readily available for immediate use. D. Relying on a backup and restore process using the mysqldump utility would still introduce delays and impact application latency during the data population phase.

With Amazon Aurora MySQL, creating a staging database using database cloning is an easy process. Using database cloning will eliminate the performance issues that occur when a full export is done, and the new database is created. In addition, Amazon Aurora's high availability is provided through Multi-AZ deployment, and read replicas can be used to serve the heavy read traffic without affecting the production database. This solution provides better scalability, elasticity, and availability than the current architecture.

Answer B:

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-aurora-fast-database-cloning/

Database cloning is the best answer

Database cloning is right answer here.

Option B is right. You can not access Standby instance for Read in RDS Multi-AZ Deployments.

why not C