database duplication VS database replication

Question

Is there a difference between duplication and replication with reference to a database?

I am not sure if I am correct at all, but duplication means to me that we are copying bit by bit without understanding what the data is about, while replication is more like logical copying, where we are copying at say, database level. Am I correct?

Is there more to duplication and replication?

Answer 1

Database duplication generally refers to restoring a physical backup of a database to a different server (preferably using RMAN). That is normally done periodically to refresh lower environments from production.

Database replication generally refers to the process of copying a subset of data from one database to another on an ongoing basis. Replication generally implies that the data is being copied from one production database to another production database (or a test database to a test database, etc.)