Amazon S3 Storage Classes
Amazon S3 offers multiple storage classes designed for different use cases, from frequently accessed data to long-term archival. Each storage class is optimized for specific access patterns, performance requirements, and cost considerations.
Common S3 Attributes​
All S3 storage classes share these fundamental characteristics:
Durability: Designed for 99.999999999% (11 9's) of data durability across multiple Availability Zones
Security: Supports encryption in transit and at rest, with comprehensive access control mechanisms
Scalability: Virtually unlimited storage capacity that scales automatically based on your needs
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other AWS services and supports standard REST APIs
Management: Lifecycle policies enable automatic transition between storage classes based on age or access patterns
Accessibility: Objects can be accessed from anywhere on the internet through the AWS Management Console, CLI, or SDKs
S3 Storage Classes Comparison​
| Storage Class | Logo | Key Attributes | Primary Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard |  | - General-purpose storage - High performance and low latency - Default storage class | - Cloud applications - Dynamic websites - Content distribution - Big data analytics |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering |  | - Automatic cost optimization - Monitors access patterns - Three access tiers | - Unknown access patterns - Changing access patterns - Automatic cost savings |
| S3 Standard-IA |  | - Lower storage costs - Rapid access when needed - Retrieval fees apply | - Long-term backups - Disaster recovery files - Infrequently accessed data |
| S3 One Zone-IA |  | - Single Availability Zone - Lower cost than Standard-IA - Less availability | - Secondary backups - Easily recreatable data - Cost-sensitive workloads |
| S3 Express One Zone |  | - Single-digit millisecond latency - 10x faster data access - 80% lower request costs | - Latency-sensitive applications - Frequently accessed data - High-performance workloads |
| S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval |  | - Millisecond retrieval - 68% cost savings vs Standard-IA - Archive storage | - Rarely accessed archives - Medical images - News media assets |
| S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval |  | - 1-5 minute expedited retrieval - Accessed 1-2 times per year - Low-cost archival | - Backup and disaster recovery - Offsite data storage - Long-term archives |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive |  | - Lowest-cost storage class - 12-hour retrieval time - 7-10 year retention | - Regulatory compliance - Digital preservation - Long-term retention |
| S3 Outposts |  | - On-premises object storage - Local data residency - S3 APIs and features | - Data residency requirements - Low-latency access - Hybrid cloud architectures |
Choosing the Right Storage Class​
Select your S3 storage class based on these key factors:
Access Frequency: How often you need to retrieve your data determines the most cost-effective option
Performance Requirements: Consider latency and throughput needs for your applications
Cost Sensitivity: Balance storage costs against retrieval costs and access patterns
Compliance Needs: Some industries require specific data retention and residency requirements
Availability Requirements: Determine if you need multi-AZ redundancy or if single-zone storage is sufficient.
S3 Lifecycle​
To avoid manually managing your object storage tier configurations, you can use S3 Lifecycle configurations to automate the process. you can choose to automate between two types of actions, as follows:
- Transition actions : define when objects should transition to another storage class.
- Expiration actions : define when objects expire and should be permanently deleted.
S3 Lifecycle configuration Example​
- After 30 days : After 30 days without being accessed, the object is moved from the Amazon S3 Standard storage class to the Amazon S3 Standard-IA storage class.
- After 60 days : After the object has been in the S3 Standard-IA storage class for 60 days without being accessed, it's moved to the Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval storage class.
- After 365 days : Finally, after 365 days in the Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval storage class without being accessed, the object is deleted.
Use Cases :
- Periodic logs: If you upload periodic logs to a bucket, your application might need them for a week or a month.
- Data that changes in access frequency: Some documents are frequently accessed for a limited period of time. After that, they are infrequently accessed. At some point, you might not need real-time access to them.