AWS provides a comprehensive portfolio of storage services, each optimized for specific use cases: object, block, file, backup, migration, and hybrid. Below are the latest details and features for each major storage service.
Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Buckets & Objects | S3 stores data as objects in buckets. Each object has data, metadata, and a unique key. Buckets are globally unique. |
| Storage Classes | Multiple classes for cost and performance: - S3 Standard (frequent access) - S3 Intelligent-Tiering (auto cost optimization) - S3 Standard-IA (infrequent access) - S3 One Zone-IA (single AZ) - S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval (low-cost, fast access) - S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval - S3 Glacier Deep Archive (lowest cost, long-term) - S3 Express One Zone (high-performance, single AZ, 2023+). |
| Versioning | Maintains multiple versions of an object for protection against deletion/overwrites. |
| Replication | - Cross-Region Replication (CRR): For DR and compliance. - Same-Region Replication (SRR): For backup within a region. - Multi-Destination Replication (2022+): Replicate to multiple buckets/regions. |
| Encryption | - Server-Side Encryption (SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, SSE-C). - Client-Side Encryption. - Default encryption can be enforced at bucket level. |
| Performance & Access | S3 scales automatically. Supports parallelization, multipart uploads, high concurrency. - S3 Access Points for managing access at scale. - S3 Object Ownership for simplifying ACLs. |
| S3 Select & Object Lambda | - S3 Select: Retrieve subsets of data using SQL-like queries. - S3 Object Lambda: Transform data on the fly using Lambda functions (e.g., redact, reformat). |
| Event Notifications | Native integration with Lambda, SNS, SQS for event-driven architectures. |
| Strong Consistency | Read-after-write consistency for all operations. |
| Lifecycle Management | Automate transition and expiration of objects across storage classes. |
| Requester Pays | Option to have data download costs paid by requester. |
Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store)
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Persistent Block Storage | Provides block-level storage for EC2, like virtual hard drives. |
| Volume Types | - gp3: General Purpose SSD (default, cost-effective, customizable IOPS/throughput). - io2/io2 Block Express: High IOPS SSD for critical workloads. - st1: Throughput-optimized HDD. - sc1: Cold HDD. |
| Elastic Resizing | Volumes can be resized and performance adjusted without downtime. |
| AZ-Bound | Volumes are tied to a single Availability Zone. Snapshots can be copied across AZs/regions. |
| Snapshots | Incremental, stored in S3, can be shared across accounts/regions. - Fast Snapshot Restore for low-latency restores. |
| Encryption | Encryption at rest and in transit, integrated with AWS KMS. |
| Multi-Attach | io1/io2 volumes can be attached to multiple EC2 instances (clustered applications). |
| Recycling | Recycle Bin for EBS Snapshots (2022+): Retain deleted snapshots for a retention period. |
Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Scalable NFS | Fully managed NFS file system, scales automatically. |
| For EC2 & Containers | Mountable across multiple EC2, ECS, EKS, and Lambda (via EFS Access Points). |
| High Availability | Data stored across multiple AZs (Regional). |
| EFS One Zone | Lower-cost, single-AZ option for non-critical data. |
| Performance Modes | - General Purpose (default) - Max I/O (for highly parallel workloads) |
| Storage Classes | - Standard - Infrequent Access (IA): Automatic lifecycle management moves files to IA for cost savings. |
| Encryption | At rest and in transit, integrated with KMS. |
| Use Cases | Shared file storage, analytics, content management, lift-and-shift, serverless. |
Amazon FSx Family
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| FSx for Lustre | High-performance file system for HPC, ML, analytics. Integrates with S3. |
| FSx for Windows File Server | Fully managed Windows file system with SMB protocol, AD integration. |
| FSx for NetApp ONTAP | Enterprise features: snapshots, cloning, multi-protocol (NFS, SMB), data tiering to S3. |
| FSx for OpenZFS | Open-source ZFS file system, snapshots, clones, data compression. |
AWS Backup
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Centralized Backups | Manages and automates backups for EBS, RDS, DynamoDB, EFS, FSx, EC2, S3 (2023+), and more. |
| PITR (Point-in-Time Recovery) | Restore resources to a specific point in time. |
| Vault Lock | Immutability for backup data (WORM). |
| Cross-Region & Cross-Account | Backup copies for compliance and DR. |
| Backup Policies | Automated backup scheduling, lifecycle management, and compliance reporting. |
| Application-Consistent Backups | Integrates with AWS services for consistent backups (e.g., RDS, EC2). |
AWS Storage Gateway
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Hybrid Storage | Connects on-premises environments with AWS Cloud storage. |
| Gateway Types | - File Gateway: NFS/SMB interface to S3. - Volume Gateway: Block storage with cloud-backed snapshots. - Tape Gateway: Virtual tape library for backup workflows. |
| Use Cases | Backup, disaster recovery, hybrid cloud storage, migration. |
AWS DataSync
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Automated Data Transfer | Fast, secure, automated data movement between on-premises storage and AWS, or between AWS services. |
| Supported Sources/Destinations | S3, EFS, FSx, NFS, SMB, HDFS, and more. |
| Use Cases | Migration, backup, replication, analytics. |
AWS Snow Family
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Edge & Migration Devices | Physical devices for edge computing, data migration, and disconnected environments. |
| Products | - Snowcone: Small, portable edge device. - Snowball Edge: Storage and compute at the edge. - Snowmobile: Exabyte-scale data transfer. |
| Use Cases | Large-scale migration, edge analytics, disaster recovery, remote operations. |
AWS Transfer Family
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Managed File Transfers | Fully managed SFTP, FTPS, and FTP service for transferring files directly into and out of S3 or EFS. |
| Use Cases | Secure data exchange, partner integrations, legacy migration. |
Amazon S3 Glacier
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| Archival Storage | Low-cost storage for data archiving and long-term backup. |
| Retrieval Options | - Instant Retrieval - Flexible Retrieval - Deep Archive (lowest cost, hours retrieval) |
| Use Cases | Compliance, digital preservation, backup, cold data storage. |
Amazon Elastic File Cache (EFC) (Preview/Region Limited)
| Cues (Keywords/Questions) | Notes (Detailed Explanations) |
|---|---|
| File System Caching | High-speed cache for NFS file systems, accelerates access to frequently used data. |
| Use Cases | HPC, analytics, media workflows. |
Summary
- Amazon S3: Object storage with multiple classes, versioning, replication, encryption, access points, and advanced features (S3 Select, Object Lambda, Express One Zone).
- Amazon EBS: Persistent, block-level storage for EC2; flexible performance, snapshots, encryption, multi-attach, and recycle bin.
- Amazon EFS: Fully managed, scalable NFS file storage for EC2, containers, and serverless; regional and one-zone options.
- Amazon FSx: Managed file systems for specialized workloads (Lustre, Windows, NetApp ONTAP, OpenZFS).
- AWS Backup: Centralized, automated backup for AWS services, with compliance, immutability, and cross-region/account support.
- AWS Storage Gateway: Hybrid cloud storage integration for on-premises and AWS.
- AWS DataSync: Automated, accelerated data transfer between on-premises and AWS or between AWS services.
- AWS Snow Family: Physical devices for edge computing, migration, and large-scale data transfer.
- AWS Transfer Family: Managed SFTP/FTP/FTPS for secure file transfers to S3/EFS.
- Amazon S3 Glacier: Archival storage with multiple retrieval options.
- Amazon Elastic File Cache: High-speed cache for file systems (limited availability).
Abstractions:
- S3 → Object storage (scalable, global, multi-class)
- EBS → Block storage (fast, AZ-bound, persistent)
- EFS/FSx/EFC → File storage (shared, scalable, protocol-specific, cached)
- Backup/Glacier → Data protection, compliance, archiving
- Gateway/DataSync/Snow/Transfer → Hybrid, migration, edge, and integration
New in 2023-2024:
- S3 Express One Zone, S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, EBS Recycle Bin, S3 Multi-Destination Replication, AWS Backup for S3, expanded FSx offerings, Elastic File Cache (preview).
For the latest details, always refer to the AWS Storage Documentation at https://aws.amazon.com/products/storage/