Amazon S3 Storage Classes : A Comparison

I have been working with AWS lately, using S3 as the go-to data lake for data storage. I decided to delve into the seven different S3 storage classes, and I can say that choosing the right storage class boils down to two key factors: Access Frequency and Cost

• Frequently Accessed Data

  • S3 Standard: Ideal for data accessed multiple times per month, offering low latency and high throughput.

• Infrequently Accessed Data

  • S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access): Suitable for data accessed less frequently but requiring rapid access when needed.

  • S3 One Zone-IA: A cost-effective option for infrequently accessed data that can be recreated if necessary. This is the only storage class with 99.5% availability, as it stores data in a single Availability Zone.

• Rarely Accessed Archive Data

  • S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval: Best for archive data requiring immediate access.

  • S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval: Suitable for data that can tolerate retrieval times ranging from 1 minute to 12 hours, depending on the retrieval option chosen.

  • S3 Glacier Deep Archive: The most cost-effective option for data accessed very rarely, with retrieval times between 12 to 48 hours, depending on the retrieval option chosen.

• Changing Access Patterns

  • S3 Intelligent-Tiering: Automatically moves data between storage classes based on changing access patterns, optimizing costs without impacting performance.

• S3 One Zone-IA: Offers lower storage costs for infrequently accessed data that can be recreated.

• S3 Glacier Classes: Significantly lower storage costs for archival data, with retrieval times and fees varying based on the class.

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