<ul data-eligibleForWebStory="true">SQL Server replication helps in distributing data between databases in near real-time, supporting modern applications' data distribution requirements.Amazon RDS Custom for SQL Server offers the flexibility of self-managed databases with managed services automation.RDS Custom enables the use of native SQL Server replication features with reduced operational overhead.Different replication types supported on RDS Custom include transactional, snapshot, peer-to-peer, and merge replication.A step-by-step guide is provided for setting up transactional replication on Amazon RDS Custom for SQL Server.Prerequisites for configuring transactional replication include having two RDS Custom instances and proper network configuration.Best practices for optimization include monitoring replication latency and choosing the right replication topology.The article covers steps for generating test data, validating replication, and considerations for replication setup.Cleanup steps are also outlined to remove the replication setup and associated resources to avoid incurring costs.The implementation of native SQL Server replication on Amazon RDS Custom simplifies data consistency maintenance across distributed environments.