RDS for a new SaaS
What RDS instance would you recommend for starting out? I know it's a broad question but just a little background on my app. The database mostly stores text strings. Images are stored on Firebase and everything else is just running off the back of other services (MailChimp, YouTube, etc).
Thanks!
It going to depend greatly on your needs.
I typically stick with Azure RDS for anything I am experimenting with. You can get a tiny SQL Server instance for ~$5/month.
Take a look at the serverless option if you have low traffic and just testing an idea.
While developing, this is the most cost effective one.
Feel free to use this cloudformation template on my github (if you want to try this out): https://github.com/torijacarlos/infrastructure/blob/master/cloudformation/mysql-serverless.yml
Edit, Remember that serverless does not expose a public direction, that's why the template has a bastion instance so you can reach it outside your VPC
RDS is relatively expensive. So I'd pick like the second smallest tier (4 cpus). Upgrading and adding readers is just clicking some buttons. Just make sure you check your monitoring graphs regularly.
With RDS you'd need to take care of the hardware aspects of your DB (disk, memory, IOPS, etc.). Do you really want that?...
Also, it depends on your app a lot but if I were in your shoes I'd also consider other DB alternatives (https://userbase.com, Firestore, DynamoDB). E.g. Userbase and Dynamo don't require ANY db management at all while giving what most SaaS apps need.
since you mentioned Firebase, why not use Firestore? My other vote would be for a noSQL database. Not sure why you want a relational db for such a simple store.