π What Are S3 Storage Classes?
Amazon S3 Storage Classes allow you to choose the most cost-effective storage option for your data β depending on how frequently you need to access it, how quickly, and your durability/availability requirements.
β Main idea:
Balance cost, durability, availability, and retrieval time.
π Overview of S3 Storage Classes
| Storage Class | Use Case | Availability | Durability | Min Storage Duration | Retrieval Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | Frequently accessed data | 99.99% | 99.999999999% (11 9’s) | None | Immediate |
| S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) | Less frequently accessed, but needs quick access | 99.9% | 99.999999999% | 30 days | Immediate |
| S3 One Zone-IA | Infrequent, non-critical data | 99.5% | 99.999999999% | 30 days | Immediate |
| S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval | Archive data, but sometimes needs fast access | 99.9% | 99.999999999% | 90 days | Milliseconds |
| S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval (formerly Glacier) | Archive, rarely accessed | 99.99% | 99.999999999% | 90 days | Minutes to hours |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | Long-term archive (compliance, backups) | 99.99% | 99.999999999% | 180 days | Hours (up to 12h) |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | Automatically moves objects between tiers based on usage | 99.9%-99.99% | 99.999999999% | 30-90 days for IA/Glacier tiers | Immediate to hours |
π Details of Key Storage Classes
β S3 Standard
- Default storage class
- High durability and availability
- No minimum duration or retrieval fees
- Ideal for frequently accessed data: images, videos, websites, active content
β S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access)
- Lower cost than Standard
- Good for infrequently accessed, but still critical data
- Example: Logs, reports, backups
- 30-day minimum storage charge
- Immediate access when needed
β S3 One Zone-IA
- Same as Standard-IA but stored in a single AZ (Availability Zone)
- Cheaper, but lower availability (99.5%)
- Ideal for non-critical, re-creatable data
- Example: Secondary backups, cached data
β S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
- Low-cost archive class
- Immediate access (milliseconds)
- Ideal for rarely accessed data that sometimes needs quick retrieval
- Example: Historical financial records, long-term logs
β S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval
- Low-cost archival
- Retrieval in minutes to hours (Expedited, Standard, Bulk options)
- Example: Compliance archives, backups
β S3 Glacier Deep Archive
- Cheapest storage class
- Longest retrieval times (up to 12 hours)
- For compliance and long-term cold storage
- Example: Medical records, long-term backups, media archives
β S3 Intelligent-Tiering
- Automatically moves objects between Standard, IA, and Archive tiers based on usage
- No operational overhead
- Small monthly monitoring and automation fee
- Example: Mixed-use workloads with unpredictable access patterns
π Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval Fee | Retrieval Speed | AZ Redundancy | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | None | No | Immediate | Multi-AZ | Frequently accessed |
| Standard-IA | 30 days | Yes | Immediate | Multi-AZ | Infrequently accessed |
| One Zone-IA | 30 days | Yes | Immediate | Single AZ | Non-critical, infrequent |
| Glacier Instant | 90 days | Yes | Milliseconds | Multi-AZ | Rarely accessed but fast |
| Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Yes | Mins to hours | Multi-AZ | Archival, low-cost |
| Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Yes | Up to 12 hrs | Multi-AZ | Long-term archives |
| Intelligent-Tiering | 30-90 days | Yes (for Archive) | Auto | Multi-AZ | Unpredictable usage |
β Best Practices & Exam Tips
π Choose Standard for active content and real-time apps
π Use Standard-IA or One Zone-IA for backups/logs
π Go with Glacier/Deep Archive for long-term storage
π Use Intelligent-Tiering when unsure about access patterns
π Consider retrieval time & cost in storage decisions
π Remember min storage duration penalties on deletion
Common SOA-C02 scenario questions:
- Whatβs the most cost-effective option for storing backup data for 7 years?
π Glacier Deep Archive - Which class provides immediate access at the lowest price for infrequent access?
π Standard-IA (or One Zone-IA if lower durability is acceptable) - Which automatically moves objects between Standard and IA?
π Intelligent-Tiering
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