Cloud suppliers provide a vast number of storage choices over the cloud to go well with totally different enterprise wants and pricing choices. Primarily based on the enterprise necessities clients can select the best storage choice for his or her IT necessities and align to regulatory and different wants which demand storage of information for particular functions and particular durations. Amazon AWS, one of many largest cloud service suppliers presents S3, EBS and EFS sort of cloud-based storage choices.
In right this moment’s article we perceive and examine Amazon AWS storage choices – Amazon easy storage service (S3), Amazon Elastic block storage (EBS) and Amazon Elastic file system (EFS), their key variations i.e. EBS vs EFS vs S3 and use circumstances.


What’s EBS
Amazon Elastic block storage (EBS) is for all AWS block storage providers over cloud. It permits to retailer information immediately on an EC2 occasion to allow them to be accessed rapidly. They are often personalized to finest go well with the wants and assist required workload. Primarily based on necessities equivalent to the necessity is for better throughput you possibly can select a throughput optimized HDD EBS quantity. For common objective you possibly can select EBS common objective SSD. Excessive efficiency quantity wants EBS provisioned IOPS SSD quantity and so forth. This works merely like a tough drive engaged on a pc.
Use Instances for EBS Storage
- Many organizations require cheaper storage choices to run their databases. EBS offers relational and NoSQL databases with scalability options having low latency efficiency. Slack is instance of 1 such messaging software which makes use of EBS to extend efficiency of database
- Preferrred for backups which will be simply uploaded to S3 bucket for handy and cheaper storage choice
What’s EFS
EFS permits companies to share file knowledge concurrently from a number of EC2 or on premises cases. It’s an elastic and serverless service which mechanically grows and shrinks as per file storage wants of enterprise with none handbook intervention of its provisioning or administration. It provides some further benefits equivalent to dividing content material between much less often and extra often accessed. Being a local resolution to Amazon AWS it really works with containers and features equivalent to EC2 and AWS Lambda.
Use Instances for EFS Storage
- Preferrred for machine studying and large knowledge workloads
- Administration of content material and net purposes
What’s S3
Being an object storage resolution, it presents scalability to shrink or increase to satisfy calls for of rising knowledge storage wants in a value efficient method. It helps to handle knowledge, potential to regulate who entry what content material, knowledge safety towards newest threats. Replication of information for elevated availability and select between totally different storage courses as per the necessity.
Use Instances for S3 Storage
- Excessive redundancy and availability necessities
- Archival of information for regulatory functions in price efficient method
Comparability: EBS vs EFS vs S3
Options | S3 | EBS | EFS |
Kind of storage | It’s an object storage | It’s block storage | It’s a file storage |
Scalability | S3 offers limitless scalability | In EBS it must be managed manually (enhance and reduce in quantity dimension) | EFS offers limitless scalability |
Reliability | Redundant storage unfold throughout a number of availability zones | Saved in a single single availability zone | Saved throughout a number of availability zones for redundancy |
Availability | Most is 99.99% with S3 (Std.) | Assured uptime 99.99% | No SLA |
Safety | Encryption is assist for knowledge at Relaxation and in Transit | Encryption is assist for knowledge at Relaxation and in Transit | Encryption is assist for knowledge at Relaxation and in Transit |
Backup and restore | Cross area replication and versioning supported | Backup is automated with snapshots (each quarter-hour) | Replication supported from EFS to EFS |
Efficiency | It’s slower in comparison with EBS and EFS | It’s sooner in comparison with S3 and EFS | It’s sooner than S3 and slower than EBS |
Accessibility | May be accessed publicly and privately each | Solely accessible through an connected EC2 occasion | Concurrently accessibility through a number of EC2 and on premises cases |
Interface supported | Internet based mostly interface | File system interface | Helps each net and file system interface |
Options | Pay as you go mannequin | Pay for provisioned capability | Pay as you go mannequin |
Use circumstances | Leisure and media, large knowledge analytics, archives and backups, content material administration and net serving | Quantity booting, no SQL and transaction databases, ETL based mostly knowledge warehousing requirement | Leisure, media, analytics on large knowledge, archives and backups, content material administration, dwelling directories and net serving |