Optimize your storage cost by choosing the right class.
Amazon S3 storage class in summary
Introduction
What is an S3? It's an object storage service that stores data as objects within a bucket. An object can be any file such as images, documents, or videos. Once uploaded in the S3 bucket, S3 will manage these data as objects. A bucket on the other hand is typically a container for objects.
S3 Cost Factors and best practices
Cost is one of the most important aspects when choosing the right S3 storage class for your workload. As described in AWS Well-Architected Framework, this pillar focus on utilizing all available resources, achieving your business needs at the lowest possible price point.
| Feature | Description |
| Storage | You pay for storing objects in your S3 bucket. Charging rates entirely depend on: object size, storage duration and the storage class being utilized. |
| Request and Retrieval of Objects | Charges are made based on the number of requests made against the bucket and objects in the bucket. Requests might include: PUT,LIST,GET etc. |
| Data transfer | Data out of the bucket. |
When evaluating which class to use, there are several factors to consider:
- Access Pattern:
How frequently is the data accessed? Additionally, what sort of latency and availability do you expect?
- Duration of Storage:
How long do you expect to store that data?
S3 provide a wide range of storage classes for you to choose from.
This visual diagram summarizes these classes by giving you a high-level overview of each and different use case depending on your business needs.
Key pointers to take note:
All S3 classes are designed to deliver 11'9s percentile Durability (99.999999999%).
S3 Standard, S3 Standard-IA and S3 Glacier storage classes store your data redundantly across 3-AZ (Availability Zones)
One Zone-IA gives you the option to store reproducible data in a Single AWS AZ for lower fault tolerance for a lower cost.
Conclusion
In summary, we have evaluated different S3 classes by providing a high-level overview of each in a visual flowchart presentation. We further outlined some of the cost factors and best practices you can opt into before choosing the right storage class for your workload. The ultimate goal is to save costs by choosing the right class that meets your need and ensure business continuity.
Important Links
Should you want further your read and deep-dive on S3 bucket and how to host your first static website feel free to review this article.