Course PreviewAWS Storage
AWS storage services provide durable, scalable places to keep data in the cloud. They span object storage (S3), block storage (EBS), file systems (EFS, FSx), and archival tiers, each optimized for different access patterns, durability requirements, and cost profiles.
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Intro
AWS Storage
AWS storage is not one product or one durability setting. It is a portfolio of storage models, protection tools, and data-movement services.
Start with the interface your workload expects. An application may read objects through an API, address blocks through a device, or share files through a file-system protocol. That first choice narrows the service list quickly.
Then test the choice against scope, latency, throughput, sharing, durability, recovery, security, and cost. A service can store the data correctly and still fail the workload through the wrong access model.
Three storage models
Object storage keeps data as objects in buckets. Each object has a key, content, and metadata. Amazon S3 is the main AWS object store. It fits backups, static assets, archives, data lakes, and application data designed for an object API.
An S3 bucket is not a mounted disk. Applications normally use S3 APIs, SDKs, or transfer tools. Rewriting part of an object is not the same operation as updating blocks in a file system.
Block storage exposes addressable blocks to a host. The host creates a partition or file system and decides how data is organized. Amazon EBS provides persistent block volumes for Amazon EC2. EC2 instance store provides temporary block storage tied to the instance and its host.
Block storage fits boot volumes, databases, and applications that expect a local disk. The attachment and failure scope matter. An EBS volume and its EC2 instance must be in the same Availability Zone.
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Sources
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/decision-guides/latest/storage-on-aws-how-to-choose/choosing-aws-storage-service.html
Supports
- AWS storage selection begins with object, block, file, cache, hybrid, protection, and migration needs
- S3 is object storage, EBS and instance store are block storage, and EFS and FSx are file storage
- File-system protocol, client type, access pattern, performance, security, and migration needs affect selection
- FSx includes Windows File Server, Lustre, NetApp ONTAP, and OpenZFS options
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/Welcome.html
Supports
- S3 stores objects in buckets and identifies them with keys
- S3 provides storage classes for frequent, changing, infrequent, archive, and latency-sensitive access patterns
- S3 includes Versioning, Lifecycle, Object Lock, and Replication features
- S3 Express One Zone uses directory buckets and one Availability Zone
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/storage-class-intro.html
Supports
- S3 storage classes differ by access pattern, availability, minimum duration, minimum billable size, retrieval, and other pricing conditions
- Most current S3 classes are designed across at least three Availability Zones
- S3 One Zone-IA and S3 Express One Zone store data in one Availability Zone
- Glacier archive classes have distinct retrieval and retention behavior
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/DataDurability.html
Supports
- S3 Standard and most other listed classes are designed for eleven nines of durability
- Most listed S3 classes redundantly store objects across at least three Availability Zones
- Versioning can preserve and restore object versions after unintended actions or application failures
- Object Lock and Replication provide additional protection controls
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/Versioning.html
Supports
- S3 Versioning keeps multiple variants of an object in a bucket
- Versioning supports recovery from accidental deletion and overwrite
- Concurrent writes can produce multiple stored versions
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/versioning-workflows.html
Supports
- A delete in a versioning-enabled bucket inserts a delete marker instead of permanently removing every version
- An overwrite creates a new current version and retains the prior version
- Normal storage and transfer rates apply to retained versions
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/intro-lifecycle-rules.html
Supports
- Lifecycle rules can transition objects between storage classes
- Lifecycle actions can expire current objects and manage noncurrent versions
- Expiration behavior depends on the bucket versioning state
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ebs/latest/userguide/ebs-volumes.html
Supports
- EBS volumes are durable block-level devices for EC2
- EBS volumes persist independently from the running life of an EC2 instance
- An EBS volume and attached instance must be in the same Availability Zone
- EBS volume types differ in performance characteristics and price
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ebs/latest/userguide/EBSFeatures.html
Supports
- EBS volumes are replicated within an Availability Zone
- EBS snapshots are point-in-time copies stored redundantly across multiple Availability Zones through S3
- Subsequent snapshots store changed blocks incrementally
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ebs/latest/userguide/ebs-volume-types.html
Supports
- General Purpose and Provisioned IOPS SSD families serve different IOPS and latency requirements
- Throughput Optimized and Cold HDD families target sequential throughput workloads
- Volume performance also depends on I O size, workload characteristics, and EC2 instance limits
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/InstanceStorage.html
Supports
- Instance store provides temporary block storage on disks attached to the host
- Instance store fits buffers, caches, scratch data, and replicated temporary content
- Instance type and size determine instance-store availability and capacity
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/instance-store-lifetime.html
Supports
- Instance store data persists through reboot
- Instance store data does not persist through stop, hibernation, or termination
- Instance store can lose data after host disk failure and several recovery events
- Valuable long-term data must be copied to persistent storage
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/latest/ug/how-it-works.html
Supports
- EFS provides NFS file systems through mount targets in a VPC
- Regional and One Zone EFS file systems have different Availability Zone placement
- Clients should use a mount target in the same Availability Zone for better performance and cost
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/latest/ug/performance.html
Supports
- EFS performance depends on file-system type, performance mode, throughput mode, and storage class
- EFS offers Elastic, Provisioned, and Bursting throughput modes
- EFS Standard, Infrequent Access, and Archive classes have different latency profiles
- AWS recommends General Purpose performance mode for lower operation latency
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/efs/latest/ug/limits.html
Supports
- EFS supports NFS clients and does not support Windows file-system access
- Client latency and quotas affect achievable throughput
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/
Supports
- FSx offers managed Lustre, NetApp ONTAP, OpenZFS, and Windows File Server file systems
- Each FSx option has a dedicated guide for its concepts, features, and operations
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-backup/latest/devguide/whatisbackup.html
Supports
- AWS Backup centralizes and automates protection for supported resources
- Backup plans provide policy-based schedules and lifecycle behavior
- Cross-Region and cross-account copies provide additional recovery boundaries
- Backup Audit Manager and restore testing support compliance and recovery validation
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-backup/latest/devguide/about-backup-plans.html
Supports
- Backup plans define when and how supported resources are backed up
- Resources can be assigned to plans and retained according to plan rules
- Incremental behavior varies by resource support
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-backup/latest/devguide/recovery-points.html
Supports
- A recovery point represents resource content at a specified time
- AWS Backup stores recovery points in backup vaults
- Recovery points can be found and restored through the console or CLI
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/datasync/latest/userguide/what-is-datasync.html
Supports
- DataSync transfers file and object data to, from, and between AWS storage services
- DataSync supports on-premises NFS, SMB, HDFS, and object storage sources
- DataSync supports S3, EFS, all four current FSx families, and named other-cloud services
- DataSync provides encryption and data-integrity validation during transfer
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/latest/vgw/WhatIsStorageGateway.html
Supports
- Storage Gateway connects on-premises applications with cloud-backed storage
- The family offers file, volume, and tape interfaces
- Volume Gateway presents iSCSI volumes in cached or stored configurations
- Cached volumes keep frequently accessed data locally while stored volumes keep the full dataset locally
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/latest/tgw/StorageGatewayConcepts.html
Supports
- Tape Gateway presents a virtual tape library to existing backup applications
- Virtual tapes are exposed through iSCSI devices and archived in AWS storage
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/snowball-edge-availability-change.html
Supports
- Snowball Edge is no longer available for new customers to order
- AWS recommends DataSync, Data Transfer Terminal, partner solutions, or Outposts according to the use case
- https://docs.aws.amazon.com/datatransferterminal/latest/userguide/what-is-dtt.html
Supports
- Data Transfer Terminal is a physical AWS facility for customer-device transfers to or from AWS
- Reservations and transfers use customer-provided storage devices
- The service is currently limited to AWS Enterprise customers