Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is one of the most widely used storage services in AWS, providing secure, scalable, and highly available object storage for virtually any type of data. Whether it’s files, backups, images, videos, or big data, S3 allows businesses to store and retrieve data easily from anywhere.
What are Buckets and Objects?
In S3, everything revolves around two fundamental concepts:
Objects: These are the actual files you store – whether they’re documents, photos, videos, or backups. Each object consists of the file data, metadata, and a unique identifier key.
Buckets: These are like top-level folders or containers for your data. Each bucket must have a unique name across all of AWS. They organize your storage and are the primary place where you set permissions and configure options.
Key Features of S3
Data Encryption: Encrypt data at rest or in transit for security.
Unlimited Storage: Store as much data as you want.
High Durability: Designed for 99.999999999% durability.
Versioning: Keep multiple versions of an object to recover from accidental deletion or overwrite.
Access Control: Use IAM policies, bucket policies, and ACLs to control access.
Lifecycle Management: Automatically transition objects to cheaper storage tiers or delete them after a set period.
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Types of S3 Storage Classes
AWS offers different storage classes optimized for various use cases and cost requirements:
S3 Glacier Deep Archive: Lowest-cost storage for data accessed once per year
S3 Standard: General-purpose storage for frequently accessed data
S3 Intelligent-Tiering: Automatically moves data between access tiers
S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access): For less frequently accessed data
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval: For archived data needing immediate access
S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval: For archives accessed 1-2 times per quarter
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