---
id: aurora-data-api
version: "0.5.0"
license: Apache Software License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# aurora-data-api — A Python DB-API 2.0 client for the AWS Aurora Serverless Data API

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 106.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

aurora-data-api is a Python DB-API 2.0 driver that connects to AWS Aurora Serverless databases through the RDS Data API, which tunnels SQL over HTTP rather than using traditional TCP connections. It implements the standard DB-API interface (connect, cursor, execute, fetch) so it works like any other database driver in Python code.

The package solves a specific problem for AWS Lambda and other serverless environments: traditional database drivers maintain stateful connection pools that break across Lambda freeze-thaw cycles, while the Data API uses stateless HTTP and AWS IAM authentication. It requires boto3 as its only runtime dependency and works with Aurora PostgreSQL and MySQL clusters that have the Data API endpoint enabled.

Use it for:

- Query Aurora databases from AWS Lambda functions without managing connection pools or handling credential rotation.
- Build serverless applications that need database access without opening database ports to the Lambda IP pool.
- Use standard DB-API 2.0 code patterns (cursor iteration, parameterized queries) against Aurora via HTTP.
- Integrate with SQLAlchemy using the companion sqlalchemy-aurora-data-api dialect for ORM-based serverless apps.
- Migrate existing DB-API code to serverless by swapping the driver while keeping query logic unchanged.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

A DB-API 2.0 compatible client for AWS Aurora Serverless that tunnels SQL queries over HTTP via the RDS Data API, eliminating the need for traditional database connection pools.

Yes, if you are building serverless applications on AWS Lambda that need Aurora database access. The package solves a real architectural problem (stateless HTTP vs. broken connection pools) and has low install friction. However, the last release was December 2023 and there have been no updates since; verify that it still works with your Aurora version and Python release before committing to production.

## Install

pip install aurora-data-api
uv add aurora-data-api
poetry add aurora-data-api

## Installing aurora-data-api

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with a single runtime dependency on boto3. Maintenance has aged since the last release in December 2023, but the repository remains active with a recent commit in August 2025 and no archived status.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most production and proprietary projects.

Quickstart:

pip install aurora-data-api

import aurora_data_api

with aurora_data_api.connect(
    aurora_cluster_arn="arn:aws:rds:...:cluster:my-cluster",
    secret_arn="arn:aws:secretsmanager:...:secret:...",
    database="my_db"
) as conn:
    with conn.cursor() as cursor:
        cursor.execute("select * from pg_catalog.pg_tables")
        print(cursor.fetchall())

Requires an AWS Aurora Serverless cluster with Data API enabled, credentials stored in AWS Secrets Manager, and AWS credentials configured locally or via IAM role.

Verify before relying:

- Whether cursor iteration with server-side pagination works reliably for very large result sets in production Lambda environments.
- Performance characteristics compared to traditional connection pooling for high-frequency query workloads.

## Package facts

- License: Apache Software License (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 106.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

aurora serverless database client, aws rds data api python, db-api 2.0 aurora, serverless sql python, lambda database connection, http sql tunneling aws, stateless database driver, aws-lambda, serverless, db-api-2.0

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