Demystifying AWS S3 Storage Tiers: A Comprehensive Guide to Optimizing Data Storage.

Demystifying AWS S3 Storage Tiers: A Comprehensive Guide to Optimizing Data Storage.

Introduction

In our previous post, "Introduction to AWS S3," we explored the fundamentals of Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and its exceptional capabilities for data storage in the cloud. Now, we delve deeper into the world of S3 storage tiers, a critical aspect of optimizing data storage and costs within AWS S3.

Understanding the various storage tiers offered by AWS S3 is essential for efficient resource allocation and cost-effective data management. In this comprehensive guide, we will demystify the S3 storage tiers, shedding light on their unique characteristics, benefits, and best practices. Whether you're a business owner, developer, or IT professional, this post will equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions when it comes to selecting the appropriate storage tier for your data.

Storage classes:

  • Amazon S3 Standard (general purpose):

    • Amazon S3 Standard is the default storage class for Amazon S3 and is automatically assigned to your objects if you do not choose a different storage class. Amazon S3 Standard is designed for performance-sensitive use cases, those that require millisecond access time, and for your most frequently accessed data.

    • This storage class is optimal for use cases where you require high throughput and low latency performance. This is the best storage class for a wide variety of use cases, including Cloud applications, dynamic websites, content distribution, mobile and gaming applications, and big data analytics.

    • Key features:

      • Low latency and high throughput performance

      • Designed for durability of 99.999999999% of objects across multiple Availability Zones

      • Resilient against events that impact an entire Availability Zone

      • Designed for 99.99% availability over a given year

      • Backed with the Amazon S3 Service Level Agreement for availability

      • Supports SSL for data in transit and encryption of data at rest

      • Amazon S3 lifecycle management for automatic migration of objects to other Amazon S3 storage classes.

  • Amazon S3 Standard-Infrequent Access:

    • Amazon S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) is for data that you access less frequently, but for which you require rapid access when you do need it.

    • S3 Standard-IA offers the high durability, high throughput, and low latency of S3 Standard, with a low per-GB storage price and per-GB retrieval fee.

    • This combination of low cost and high performance makes S3 Standard-IA ideal for long-term storage, backups, and data stores for disaster recovery files. S3 Standard IA stores object redundantly across multiple Availability Zones so that objects are resilient to the loss of an Availability Zone.

    • Key features:

      • Same low latency and high throughput performance of S3 Standard

      • Designed for durability of 99.999999999% of objects across multiple Availability Zones

      • Resilient against events that impact an entire Availability Zone

      • Data is resilient in the event of one entire Availability Zone destruction

      • Designed for 99.9% availability over a given year

      • Backed with the Amazon S3 Service Level Agreement for availability

      • Supports SSL for data in transit and encryption of data at rest

      • S3 Lifecycle management for automatic migration of objects to other S3 Storage Classes

  • Amazon S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access:

    • Amazon S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA) is for data that you access less frequently, but for which you rapid access when you do need it. S3 One Zone IA stores the object data in only one Availability Zone. Because of this, the data is not resilient to the physical loss of the Availability Zone resulting from disasters, such as earthquakes and floods.

    • The S3 One Zone-IA storage class is as durable as Standard-IA, but it is less available and less resilient. Also, because the data resides in only a since AZ, this storage class costs 20% less than S3 Standard-IA.

    • S3 One Zone-IA is ideal for customers who want a lower-cost option for infrequently accessed data but who do not require the availability and resilience of S3 Standard or S3 Standard-IA. This storage class is a good choice for storing secondary backup copies of on-premises data, data you can easily recreate, or storage you have already replicated in another AWS Region using S3 cross-Region replication for compliance or disaster recovery purposes.

  • Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering:

    • The S3 Intelligent-Tiering storage class optimizes storage costs by automatically moving data to the most cost-effective access tier, without performance impact or operational overhead.

    • This is the perfect storage class when you want to optimize storage costs for data that have unknown or changing access patterns.

    • Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering uses your data access patterns to automatically move data between three access tiers, with the option to activate a fourth and fifth archive and deep archival tier. The first tier is optimized for frequent Access, the next lower-cost tier is optimized for infrequent Access, and the Archive Instant Access tier is an even lower-cost tier optimized for rarely accessed data.

    • Key features:

      • Only cloud storage delivers automated cost savings.

      • Monitors and optimizes costs at a granular object level.

      • Moves objects between four access tiers for a small monthly monitoring and automation fee.

      • Two low latency access tiers for frequent and infrequent access and two new optional archive access tiers designed for access in minutes and hours.

      • No operational overhead, no lifecycle fees, and no retrieval fees

      • Designed for 99.9% availability and 99.999999999% (11 9’s) of durability.

  • Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval:

    • S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is an archive storage class delivering the lowest-cost storage for long-lived, rarely accessed data, that requires retrieval in milliseconds.

    • S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval delivers the fastest access to archive storage, with the same throughput and milliseconds of access as the S3 Standard and S3 Standard-IA storage classes.

    • This storage class is designed for rarely accessed data that still need immediate access in performance-sensitive use cases like image hosting, online file-sharing applications, medical imaging and health records, news media assets, and genomics.

    • Key features:

      • Data retrieval in milliseconds with the same performance as S3 Standard

      • Designed for durability of 99.999999999% of objects across multiple Availability Zones

      • Data is resilient in the event of one entire Availability Zone destruction

      • Designed for 99.9% data availability in a given year

      • 128 KB minimum object size

      • Supports SSL for data in transit and encryption of data at rest

      • S3 PUT API for direct uploads to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval.

  • Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval (S3 Glacier):

    • S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval delivers a low-cost storage solution for archive data that is accessed 1-2 times per year. S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval retrieves data asynchronously, meaning that once you have requested the data you must wait for the data to restore. This storage class offers flexible retrieval times from minutes to hours, based on your data requirement and cost requirements.

    • Data stored in the S3 Glacier storage class has a minimum storage duration period of 90 days. Deleting data from Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is free if the archive being deleted has been stored for three months or longer.

    • Key features:

      • Designed for durability of 99.999999999% of objects across multiple Availability Zones

      • Data is resilient in the event of one entire Availability Zone destruction

      • Supports SSL for data in transit and encryption of data at rest

      • Low-cost design is ideal for long-term archive

      • Up to 10% lower cost (than S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval)

      • Configurable retrieval times, from minutes to hours

      • S3 PUT API for direct uploads to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, and S3 Lifecycle management for automatic migration of objects

    • Amazon S3 Glacier provides three retrieval options to fit your needs:

      • Expedited (1–5 mins)

      • Standard (3–5 hours)

      • Bulk (5-12 hours) free

  • Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive (S3 Glacier Deep Archive):

    • S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class in Amazon S3 and supports long-term retention and digital preservation of data that may be accessed once or twice a year.

    • It is designed for highly-regulated industries, such as the Financial Services, Healthcare, and Public Sectors — that retain data sets for 7-10 years or longer to meet regulatory compliance requirements.

    • S3 Glacier Deep Archive can also be used for backup and disaster recovery use cases, and is a cost-effective and easy-to-manage alternative to magnetic tape systems, whether they are on-premises libraries or off-premises services.

    • Data stored in the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage class has a minimum storage duration period of 180 days. Objects deleted, overwritten or transitioned to a different storage class an object before the 180-day minimum, incur a pro-rated charge from the time of deletion to the 180-day minimum.

    • Key Features:

      • Designed for 99.999999999% durability of objects across multiple Availability Zones

      • Lowest cost storage class designed for long-term retention of data that will be retained for 7-10 years

      • Ideal alternative to magnetic tape libraries

      • Retrieval time within 12 hours

      • S3 PUT API for direct uploads to S3 Glacier Deep Archive, and S3 Lifecycle management for automatic migration of objects

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding and leveraging the various storage tiers offered by Amazon S3 is crucial for optimizing data storage and costs within your AWS infrastructure. By carefully selecting the appropriate storage tier based on your data access patterns, retention requirements, and cost considerations, you can strike a balance between performance, durability, and affordability.

Throughout this comprehensive guide, we have explored the different S3 storage tiers, including Standard, Intelligent-Tiering, Standard-IA, One Zone-IA, Glacier, and Glacier Deep Archive. Each tier offers unique features and benefits, catering to specific use cases and data lifecycle requirements.

By implementing best practices such as data lifecycle management policies, and tiering strategies, and leveraging features like S3 Intelligent Tiering, you can automate the movement of data across storage tiers, ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency.

Remember to regularly evaluate and adjust your storage tier choices as your data requirements evolve. By keeping a close eye on your storage usage patterns and taking advantage of cost optimization tools and reports provided by AWS, you can continuously optimize your storage infrastructure and maximize the value of your cloud investment.