Enable cross region backups for Amazon ElastiCache

This guide will help you to enable cross region or cross account backups for Amazon ElastiCache.

TLDR version:

1. Take a backup (snapshot) of the source cluster.
2. Export that backup to S3 in the same region as the source, then copy the object to S3 in the target region of the target account.
3. In the target region, create a new ElastiCache cluster and seed it from the RDB file in S3.

Long version:

1. [Optional, can use the automated one as well] Create Manual Backup of ElastiCache Cluster.
   1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console.
   2. Open the ElastiCache console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/elasticache/.
   3. From navigation pane, choose Redis OSS caches or **Valkey caches.**‍
   4. Select the checkbox next to your cluster name.
   5. Choose **Backup.**‍
   6. In the Create Backup dialog:
      1. Enter a descriptive name (e.g., my-cluster-backup-20250904).
      2. Choose **Create Backup.**‍
   7. Wait for backup status to change from "creating" to "available".
2. Create S3 Bucket in the Source Region.
3. Grant ElastiCache Access to Source S3 Bucket.
   1. In S3 console, select your bucket.
   2. Go to Permissions tab.
   3. Under Access Control List (ACL), choose **Edit.**‍
   4. Add grantee with canonical ID: 540804c33a284a299d2547575ce1010f2312ef3da9b3a053c8bc45bf233e4353
   5. Grant Read and Write permissions for Objects.
   6. Grant Read permissions for Bucket ACL.
4. Export Backup to Source S3 Bucket.
   1. In ElastiCache console, go to Backups.
   2. Select your backup.
   3. Choose Actions → **Export.**‍
   4. Enter export name (ElastiCache will append -0001.rdb).
   5. Select your S3 bucket.
   6. Choose **Export.**‍
5. Create S3 Bucket in the Destination Region.
6. Copy RDB File Between Regions.
7. Configure Destination S3 Bucket Permissions. Same as the steps in point 3.‍
8. Create New ElastiCache Cluster from the copied RDB File.
   1. Switch to destination region in ElastiCache console.
   2. Choose Create → **Design your own cache.**‍
   3. Select Redis OSS or **Valkey.**‍
   4. Configure cluster settings (name, node type, etc.)
   5. In Import data to cluster section:
      1. Enter S3 location: your-destination-backup-bucket/exported-backup-0001.rdb‍
   6. Configure network, security, and other settings.
   7. Choose Create.

Cost Components Overview

The total cost for migrating an ElastiCache cluster to a different region consists of several components:

1. ‍ElastiCache Backup Storage
   • Rate: $0.085 per GB per month (all AWS regions)‍
   • No charges for creating backups or restoring from backups‍
   • Duration: Temporary storage during migration process‍
2. S3 Storage Costs
   • S3 Standard: $0.023 per GB per month (first 50TB)‍
   • Duration: Time RDB files are stored in S3 buckets‍
3. Cross-Region Data Transfer
   • Cross-region transfer: $0.02 per GB (typical rate between most regions)‍
   • Inbound transfers to S3: Free‍
   • Outbound transfers from S3: $0.02+ per GB depending on destination‍
4. S3 Request Charges
   • PUT requests: $0.005 per 1,000 requests‍
   • GET requests: $0.0004 per 1,000 requests‍
5. New Cluster Costs
   • Destination cluster: Standard ElastiCache pricing in destination region‍
   • Duration: Runtime costs for new cluster