Comparing the Amazon S3 storage classes

Min
Storage Durability Availability Availability Min storage billable Other
Designed for Use Cases
class (designed for) (designed for) Zones duration object considerations
size

Big Data
Frequently
analytics, mobile
accessed data
& gaming
S3 Standard (more than once a 100.00% 99.99% >= 3 None None None
applications,
month) with
content
millisecond access
distribution…
Long-lived,
infrequently Disaster
S3 Per-GB retrieval
accessed data (once 100.00% 99.90% >= 3 30 days 128 KB Recovery,
Standard-IA fees apply.
a month) with backups
millisecond access
Moves objects
Data with Monitoring and
S3 automatically
unknown, changing, automation fees
Intelligent- 100.00% 99.90% >= 3 None None between Access
or unpredictable per object apply.
Tiering Tiers based on
access patterns No retrieval fees.
usage

Storing
Recreatable, Per-GB retrieval
secondary
infrequently fees apply. Not
S3 One backup copies of
accessed data (once 100.00% 99.50% 1 30 days 128 KB resilient to the
Zone-IA on-premises
a month) with loss of the
data, or data you
millisecond access Availability Zone.
can recreate
When your data
is accessed only
once every
quarter, you can
save costs on
storage
compared to
using S3
Long-lived, archive
S3 Glacier Standard-IA.
data accessed once Per-GB retrieval
Instant 100.00% 99.90% >= 3 90 days 128 KB
a quarter with fees apply.
Retrieval The data stored
millisecond access
in S3 Glacier
Instant Retrieval
storage class is
resilient in the
event of the
destruction of
one entire
Availability Zone.

Per-GB retrieval
fees apply. You
Long-lived archive must first restore
S3 Glacier data accessed once 99.99% (after archived objects Most cost-
Flexible a year with retrieval 100.00% you restore >= 3 90 days NA* before you can effective
Retrieval times of minutes to objects) access them. For retrieval options
hours information,
see Restoring an
archived object.

Per-GB retrieval
fees apply. You
Long-lived archive must first restore
S3 Glacier data accessed less 99.99% (after archived objects
Lowest cost
Deep than once a year 100.00% you restore >= 3 180 days NA** before you can
storage on AWS
Archive with retrieval times objects) access them. For
of hours information,
see Restoring an
archived object.