AWS Storage Gateway
AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that seamlessly integrates on-premises environments with AWS Cloud storage, providing low-latency access to frequently used data.
Core Benefits​
Seamless Integration: Connects on-premises applications to AWS storage without disrupting existing workflows.
Improved Data Management: Provides centralized management of hybrid storage, enhancing accessibility, security, and compliance.
Local Caching: Keeps frequently accessed data on-premises for quick access while storing less-used data in the cloud.
Cost Optimization: Reduces on-premises storage costs by leveraging cloud storage for archiving, backup, and disaster recovery.
Gateway Types and Use Cases​
Storage Gateway offers three distinct types to meet different hybrid storage needs.
Amazon S3 File Gateway​
Bridges your local environment with Amazon S3, providing access to cloud storage through familiar file protocols (NFS/SMB).
How it works: Appears as a standard file server to local systems. Files written to it are uploaded to Amazon S3, with recent data cached locally for low-latency access.
Use Cases:
- Cloud-Backed File Shares: Extend on-premises file servers with virtually unlimited S3 storage for content repositories and collaborative workflows.
- Backup to S3: Store backups from on-premises databases and applications directly as objects in S3.
- Data Archiving: Move cold data from on-premises file servers to S3 to reduce storage costs.
Volume Gateway​
Presents cloud storage as iSCSI block storage volumes that can be mounted by on-premises applications. It has two configurations:
-
Cached Volume Mode:
Stores primary data in S3 while caching frequently accessed data locally.
Use Case: Extending on-premises storage capacity and providing low-latency access to large datasets for on-premises applications. -
Stored Volume Mode:
Keeps the complete dataset locally while asynchronously backing it up to AWS as EBS snapshots.
Use Case: Simple, low-cost disaster recovery and backup for on-premises block storage and applications.
Tape Gateway​
Replaces physical tape infrastructure with a virtual tape library (VTL) backed by AWS storage, integrating with existing backup software.
How it works: Presents itself to backup applications as a standard tape library. Virtual tapes are stored in Amazon S3 and can be archived to S3 Glacier for long-term retention.
Use Cases:
- Tape Modernization: Replace costly and complex physical tape backup workflows with a durable, cloud-based solution.
- Long-Term Archival: Meet regulatory and compliance requirements with low-cost, long-term data retention in S3 Glacier Deep Archive.
- Disaster Recovery: Eliminate the need for offsite tape storage by securely archiving backup data in the AWS Cloud.
Benefits: Storage Gateway provides a simple, secure, and cost-effective way to bridge on-premises infrastructure with AWS storage, enabling hybrid cloud use cases without significant architectural changes.
Use case: Ideal for businesses looking to leverage cloud storage for backup, archiving, disaster recovery, and capacity extension while maintaining on-premises application performance.