๐ What Is S3 Intelligent-Tiering?
Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering is a storage class designed for data with unknown or changing access patterns. It helps you optimize storage costs automatically by moving data between different tiers based on how frequently itโs accessed.
๐ฏ You donโt need to analyze or manage lifecycle rules manually โ S3 does it for you.
๐ฆ Storage Tiers in Intelligent-Tiering
When enabled, your objects can be transitioned between multiple tiers depending on their usage patterns:
| Tier | Description | Access Cost | Storage Cost | Retrieval Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent Access Tier | Default tier for newly uploaded data | Free | Highest | Immediate |
| Infrequent Access Tier | After 30 days of no access | Free | Lower | Immediate |
| Archive Instant Access Tier | After 90 days of no access | Yes | Even Lower | Milliseconds |
| Archive Access Tier | After 180 days of no access (optional) | Yes | Lower | Minutes to hours |
| Deep Archive Access Tier | After 365+ days (optional) | Yes | Lowest | Up to 12 hours |
You can enable or disable Archive tiers based on your needs.
โ๏ธ How Does It Work?
- Upload object โ stored in Frequent Access by default
- If not accessed for 30 days โ moved to Infrequent Access
- If not accessed for 90 days โ moved to Archive Instant Access
- Optional: After 180 or 365 days โ transition to deeper archive tiers
- If accessed again โ moved back to Frequent Access automatically
โ
No retrieval charges between tiers
๐ You pay a small monthly monitoring & automation fee:~$0.0025 per 1,000 objects
โ How to Enable Intelligent-Tiering
๐ AWS Console
- Go to your S3 bucket
- Choose storage class when uploading or via Lifecycle Rules
๐ป AWS CLI
aws s3 cp myfile.txt s3://my-bucket/ --storage-class INTELLIGENT_TIERING
๐ AWS SDK (Python Boto3)
import boto3
s3 = boto3.client('s3')
s3.upload_file(
'myfile.txt', 'my-bucket', 'myfile.txt',
ExtraArgs={'StorageClass': 'INTELLIGENT_TIERING'}
)
๐ Common SysOps SOA-C02 Exam Scenarios
| Scenario | Best Answer |
|---|---|
| Need low-cost storage for unknown access patterns | Intelligent-Tiering |
| Archive with occasional need for instant access | Glacier Instant or IT |
| Data rarely accessed, okay with hours for retrieval | Glacier Flexible/Deep Archive |
| Frequently accessed data with predictable patterns | S3 Standard |
๐ Pros & Cons
โ Pros:
- Fully automated cost optimization
- Great for dynamic or unpredictable workloads
- Immediate access for most tiers
- Optional archive for long-term cold storage
โ ๏ธ Cons:
- Small monitoring cost per 1,000 objects
- May not be ideal for many small files
- If data is accessed frequently โ S3 Standard might be cheaper
๐ง Key Takeaways
- Intelligent-Tiering = “Set and forget” cost optimization
- Perfect for changing or unknown usage patterns
- Watch for minimum storage duration charges
- Ideal for logs, reports, archives, and unpredictable backups
๐ Pro Tip: Combine with Lifecycle Rules
You can still use Lifecycle Policies to transition objects from other classes into Intelligent-Tiering โ useful in backup workflows, cost control policies, or archive plans.