Cross-Region disaster recovery for Amazon EKS using AWS Backup

This article provides a comprehensive guide for implementing cross-Region disaster recovery for Amazon EKS clusters using AWS Backup, enabling protection of both Kubernetes resources and stateful data.

• AWS Backup natively supports EKS, capturing cluster configuration, Kubernetes resources, and persistent volume data in composite recovery points
• Solution uses five phases: deploy source infrastructure, deploy application, configure backup and cross-Region copy, deploy DR infrastructure, and restore to DR cluster
• Backup vaults created in both source (us-east-1) and DR (us-west-2) regions with cross-Region copy for geographic redundancy
• Pre-provisioned DR cluster reduces RTO by having infrastructure ready before disaster occurs
• Restore metadata specifies target cluster, EBS snapshot ARNs, availability zones, volume types, and encryption settings
• Complete walkthrough includes Terraform configurations, AWS CLI commands, and verification steps for data integrity
• Production recommendations include automated backup schedules, EventBridge alerting, and regular DR testing

This solution provides a systematic approach to protecting stateful Kubernetes workloads with automated backup, cross-Region replication, and rapid recovery capabilities.