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Prerequisites

  • AWS RDS PostgreSQL instance
  • Access to AWS Console
  • Xata account and project setup
  • Network access to your RDS instance

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Install and Configure the Xata CLI

Install the Xata CLI: 
curl -fsSL https://xata.io/install.sh | bash
Authenticate with your Xata account: 
xata auth login

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Network Configuration

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Option 1: Public Endpoint (Less Secure)

If your RDS instance has a public endpoint:
  1. Whitelist Your IP:
    • Go to your RDS instance → Security Groups
    • Add a rule allowing PostgreSQL (port 5432) from your IP address
    • Or temporarily allow from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0) for migration
For better security, run the migration from within AWS:
  1. EC2 Instance in Same VPC:
    • Launch an EC2 instance in the same VPC as your RDS
    • Install Xata CLI on the EC2 instance
    • Run the migration from there
  2. GitHub Actions with AWS Credentials:
    • Use GitHub Actions with AWS credentials
    • Configure the action to run in your VPC
    • Use the private endpoint for connection

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Get Connection String

postgresql://your_username:your_password@your-rds-endpoint:5432/your_database
You can find the endpoint in the AWS RDS Console under your instance details.

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Initialize Xata Project

Set up your Xata project configuration: 
xata init

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Configure the Migration

Set up your clone configuration with optional anonymization: 
# Set your source URL
export XATA_CLI_SOURCE_POSTGRES_URL="postgresql://your_username:your_password@your-rds-endpoint:5432/your_database"

# Configure anonymization rules
xata clone config --source-url $XATA_CLI_SOURCE_POSTGRES_URL --mode prompt

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Start the Migration

Begin the data transfer: 
# Start the migration
xata clone start --source-url $XATA_CLI_SOURCE_POSTGRES_URL

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Monitor Progress

Check the migration status: 
xata clone status

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Verification

After migration, verify your data:
  1. Connect to Xata Branch: 
    psql `xata branch url`
  2. Check Data Integrity: 
    -- Compare row counts
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM your_table;

-- Check sample data
SELECT * FROM your_table LIMIT 10;
  3. Test Relationships: Verify foreign key relationships work correctly

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Next Steps