How do relational databases evolve with cloud technologies?

Relational databases have adapted to cloud technologies by leveraging scalability, managed services, and distributed architectures. Traditional on-premises databases required manual setup, maintenance, and scaling, but cloud platforms now automate these tasks. For example, services like Amazon RDS, Azure SQL Database, and Google Cloud SQL handle provisioning, backups, and patching, allowing developers to focus on application logic. This shift reduces operational overhead and enables teams to deploy databases faster while maintaining compatibility with SQL standards and existing tools like PostgreSQL or MySQL.

Cloud-native features have expanded relational databases’ capabilities. Auto-scaling adjusts compute and storage resources dynamically based on workload demands, ensuring cost efficiency. Serverless options, such as Amazon Aurora Serverless, automatically start or pause databases when idle, reducing costs for intermittent workloads. Additionally, cloud providers offer global distribution models, enabling low-latency access through read replicas or multi-region deployments. For instance, a company can deploy a primary database in one region and replicas in others, improving disaster recovery and user experience. These enhancements maintain ACID compliance while addressing traditional limitations like horizontal scaling.

Integration with cloud ecosystems has further evolved relational databases. They now connect seamlessly with analytics services (e.g., Amazon Redshift), machine learning tools (e.g., BigQuery ML), and serverless compute platforms (e.g., AWS Lambda). This allows developers to build pipelines where transactional data is automatically analyzed or transformed without manual exports. Security features like encryption at rest, IAM-based access controls, and private network isolation are also standardized in cloud databases, simplifying compliance. For example, a developer can enforce row-level security in PostgreSQL on Azure or automate backups to cloud storage. These integrations make relational databases more flexible while retaining their structured data management strengths.