This chapter covers the core features and capabilities of Cloud DR Patterns.
This kit provides three battle-tested DR architecture patterns for AWS, each with complete CloudFormation and Terraform templates, automated failover scripts, and operational documentation. Whether you need a cost-efficient pilot light setup or a zero-downtime multi-region active-active deployment, this kit gives you the infrastructure code and decision frameworks to implement it.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
cloudformation/pilot-light.yaml | Pilot light DR pattern — minimal footprint, lowest cost |
cloudformation/warm-standby.yaml | Warm standby — pre-scaled secondary region |
cloudformation/multi-region-active-active.yaml | Active-active multi-region with Global Accelerator |
cloudformation/shared-networking.yaml | Cross-region VPC peering and Transit Gateway |
terraform/pilot-light.tf | Terraform equivalent of pilot light pattern |
terraform/warm-standby.tf | Terraform equivalent of warm standby pattern |
terraform/multi-region-active-active.tf | Terraform active-active with Route 53 health checks |
terraform/variables.tf | Shared Terraform variables for all patterns |
scripts/rto_rpo_calculator.py | Interactive RTO/RPO calculator with cost modeling |
scripts/failover_validator.py | Pre-failover validation checks |
scripts/dr_test_scheduler.py | DR test scheduling and reporting tool |
docs/architecture.md | Reference architecture with diagrams |
docs/dr-runbook.md | Step-by-step failover/failback runbook |
docs/dr-testing-guide.md | DR testing strategy and game day playbook |
examples/pilot-light-params.json | Example parameters for pilot light deployment |
examples/warm-standby-params.json | Example parameters for warm standby |
examples/active-active-params.json | Example parameters for active-active |
examples/rto-rpo-requirements.json | Sample RTO/RPO requirements document |
| Pattern | RTO | RPO | Monthly Cost* | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Light | 1-4 hours | Minutes | ~$150-400 | Non-critical workloads, cost-sensitive |
| Warm Standby | 10-30 min | Seconds-Minutes | ~$800-2,000 | Business-critical applications |
| Active-Active | < 1 min | Near-zero | ~$2,000-5,000 | Mission-critical, zero-downtime |
*Costs are estimates for a mid-size web application (2-4 EC2 instances, RDS Multi-AZ, S3).
Follow this guide to get Cloud DR Patterns up and running in your environment.
Use the RTO/RPO calculator to determine which pattern fits:
python3 scripts/rto_rpo_calculator.pyAnswer the prompts about your application's availability requirements and budget. The tool recommends a pattern and estimates monthly DR cost.
Read docs/architecture.md for the full reference architecture of your chosen pattern. Each pattern includes a Mermaid diagram, component breakdown, and trade-off analysis.
# Deploy shared networking first
aws cloudformation deploy \
--template-file cloudformation/shared-networking.yaml \
--stack-name dr-networking \
--parameter-overrides file://examples/pilot-light-params.json \
--capabilities CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM \
--region us-east-1
# Then deploy your chosen DR pattern
aws cloudformation deploy \
--template-file cloudformation/pilot-light.yaml \
--stack-name dr-pilot-light \
--parameter-overrides file://examples/pilot-light-params.json \
--capabilities CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM \
--region us-west-2python3 scripts/failover_validator.py --pattern pilot-light --primary us-east-1 --dr us-west-2python3 scripts/dr_test_scheduler.py --pattern pilot-light --frequency quarterlyGet the full Cloud DR Patterns and unlock everything.
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