S3 Performance & Tiers

Optimization & Storage Classes

S3 Storage Classes

S3 Standard

Frequently accessed data

  • • 99.999999999% (11 9's) durability
  • • 99.99% availability
  • • Low latency, high throughput
  • • No retrieval fees

S3 Intelligent-Tiering

Automatic cost optimization

  • • Moves data between access tiers
  • • No retrieval fees
  • • Small monthly monitoring fee
  • • Archive and Deep Archive tiers

S3 Standard-IA

Infrequently accessed data

  • • Lower storage cost than Standard
  • • 99.9% availability
  • • Retrieval fees apply
  • • 30-day minimum storage

Glacier Classes

S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval

Millisecond retrieval, quarterly access

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval

1-5 minutes to 12 hours retrieval

S3 Glacier Deep Archive

12-48 hours retrieval, lowest cost

Retrieval Options

Expedited

1-5 minutes (highest cost)

Standard

3-5 hours (balanced cost)

Bulk

5-12 hours (lowest cost)

Performance Optimization

Request Rate Performance

Scale to high request rates

  • • 3,500 PUT/COPY/POST/DELETE per second
  • • 5,500 GET/HEAD per second
  • • Per prefix performance

Multipart Upload

Parallel uploads for large files

  • • Recommended for files >100MB
  • • Required for files >5GB
  • • Parallel upload of parts

Transfer Acceleration

CloudFront edge locations

  • • Uses AWS backbone network
  • • 50-500% faster uploads
  • • Additional cost per GB

Lifecycle Management

Transition Actions

Move objects to cheaper storage classes

Expiration Actions

Delete objects after specified time

Rule Filters

Apply rules based on prefixes or tags

Replication

Cross-Region Replication

Replicate to different AWS regions

Same-Region Replication

Replicate within same region

Requirements

Versioning must be enabled

Cost Optimization Strategies

Right Storage Class

Match access patterns

Lifecycle Policies

Automate transitions

Intelligent Tiering

Automatic optimization

Delete Unused Data

Regular cleanup

Performance Best Practices

Request Patterns

Avoid hot-spotting with random prefixes

CloudFront Integration

Cache frequently accessed content

Range GETs

Download specific byte ranges

Common Pitfalls

Sequential Naming

Avoid timestamp or alphabetical prefixes

Wrong Storage Class

Mismatched access patterns and costs

No Lifecycle Rules

Missing cost optimization opportunities

Performance & Tiers Exam Tips

  • • Use S3 Intelligent-Tiering for unknown or changing access patterns
  • • Multipart upload is required for objects larger than 5GB
  • • S3 can achieve 3,500 PUT and 5,500 GET requests per second per prefix
  • • Transfer Acceleration uses CloudFront edge locations for faster uploads
  • • Lifecycle policies can automatically transition objects and delete them
S3 Core Concepts Next: S3 Service Guide