Cloud Storage Options
Choosing the right cloud storage for your project can be daunting especially if you are new to cloud computing. Here are some tips.
S3 is the cheapest option and it integrates very well with the popular AWS content delivery network Cloudfront, while EFS allows your virtual servers to access these volumes simultaneously which is awesome for multiserver scaling websites. Performance is much faster with EFS generally speaking when compared with any flavor of S3. Each has its use case and and we take a look at them here.
The most popular type of cloud storage is Amazon S3, which is a fully managed cloud storage service that provides secure and durable storage for any amount of data. It is designed for scalability and designed for 99.999999999% durability. S3 also allows users to store and retrieve data from any device, and it can be used to store a wide variety of data types including images, videos, documents, and applications.
Another type of cloud storage is Amazon Elastic File System (EFS). EFS is a file storage system that is designed to scale up and down as needed, allowing users to store files in the cloud and access them from any device. It provides high availability and performance and is designed for use with Amazon EC2 instances. EFS also supports a range of security features such as encryption, access control lists, and IP address filtering.
When selecting the right cloud storage type for your project, consider the following factors:
- 1. Accessibility: S3 is an object storage system that provides direct access to files, whereas EFS is a file system and provides a file system interface for accessing data.
- 2. Scalability: S3 is highly scalable and is suitable for storing large volumes of data, while EFS provides both scalability and performance.
- 3. Cost: S3 is less expensive than EFS, so if cost is a major factor, S3 should be the preferred option.
- 4. Security: Both S3 and EFS provide strong security features, so you should evaluate which provides the best security for your use case.
- 5. Durability: S3 has a higher durability than EFS, so it is better suited for backup and archiving.
| S3 Storage Class | Use Cases |
|---|---|
| S3 Standard | General-purpose storage for frequently accessed data, with high durability and availability. |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | Automatically stores objects in the most cost-effective access tier while still providing high availability and durability. |
| S3 Standard-Infrequent Access | Low-cost storage for infrequently accessed data. |
| S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access | Low-cost storage for infrequently accessed data, with lower availability and durability than S3 Standard-Infrequent Access. |
| S3 Glacier | Low-cost archiving solution for long-term storage of data that is rarely accessed. |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | Lowest-cost, long-term archiving solution for data that is rarely accessed. |
| Use Case | EFS | S3 |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time access to stored data | Yes | No |
| File system structure and permissions | Yes | No |
| High-performance computing workloads | Yes | No |
| Flexible storage capacity | Yes | Yes |
| Data archiving | No | Yes |
This article provides an overview of two popular cloud storage options – Amazon S3 and Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) – and outlines the factors to consider when choosing the right storage type for your project. S3 is a fully managed cloud storage service that provides secure and durable storage for any amount of data, and it is designed for scalability and 99.999999999% durability. EFS is a file storage system that is designed to scale up and down as needed, allowing users to store files in the cloud and access them from any device. Key considerations when deciding between S3 and EFS include accessibility, scalability, cost, security, and durability. S3 provides a range of storage classes to suit different use cases, while EFS provides better performance and supports file system structure and permissions.