Comparison of Storage Options in AWS - Overview & Summary.
Scope:
- Intro,
- AWS Storage Services Comparison,
- Choosing the Right AWS Storage,
- Rough Pricing Tiers (as of 2025, may vary by region),
- Insights.
Intro:
- Here's twtech comprehensive comparison of AWS storage services, categorized by use case, performance, durability, and cost model.
This table includes:
-
Object,
- Block,
- File storage solutions,
- Newer hybrid/cloud-native options.
AWS Storage Services Comparison
|
Storage Type |
AWS Service |
Use Case |
Performance |
Durability |
Access Pattern |
Cost Model |
Key Features |
|
Object
Storage |
Amazon
S3 |
General-purpose cloud object storage |
High |
99.999999999% (11 9s) |
Read/write frequently or rarely |
Per GB + API calls |
Event triggers, lifecycle rules, versioning |
|
S3
Glacier / Glacier
Deep Archive |
Archival, long-term backup |
Low (minutes to hours) |
11 9s |
Rare |
Very low per GB + retrieval fees |
Cold storage, vaults, WORM, restore options |
|
|
Block
Storage |
Amazon
EBS (gp3, io1/io2, st1, sc1) |
Attached storage for EC2 instances |
Very high (up to millions of IOPS for io2) |
99.999% |
Low latency, high throughput |
Per GB provisioned + IOPS |
Snapshots, encryption, consistent latency |
|
File
Storage |
Amazon
EFS |
Linux-based shared file systems |
High (burst or provisioned throughput) |
11 9s |
Concurrent access by thousands |
Per GB stored + throughput |
POSIX-compliant, auto-scaling |
|
Amazon
FSx for Windows File Server |
Windows-based shared storage (SMB) |
High |
99.999% |
Windows native (NTFS) |
Per GB + throughput + IOPS |
Active Directory integration, shadow copies |
|
|
Amazon
FSx for Lustre |
HPC, AI/ML, scratch space |
Ultra-high |
99.999% |
Parallel access for compute |
Per GB + throughput |
Integrates with S3, scalable HPC |
|
|
Amazon
FSx for NetApp ONTAP |
NAS, enterprise workloads |
High |
99.999% |
NFS, SMB, iSCSI |
Tiered pricing |
SnapMirror, NetApp data management |
|
|
Hybrid
File & Transfer |
AWS
DataSync |
Online data transfers (on-prem ↔ cloud) |
Up to 10 Gbps |
Varies by target (e.g., S3/EFS) |
One-time or scheduled transfers |
Per GB transferred |
Agentless support, cross-cloud transfer |
|
AWS
Transfer Family |
Managed SFTP, FTPS, FTP |
Moderate |
11 9s (S3-backed) |
Human/B2B file exchanges |
Hourly endpoint + GB transferred |
Web UI, AS2 support, S3/EFS backend |
|
|
Edge
/ On-Prem |
AWS
Storage Gateway (File, Tape, Volume) |
Hybrid cloud integration |
LAN to AWS |
11 9s |
On-prem ↔ S3 sync or VTL |
Per GB stored + requests |
NFS/SMB interface, backup integration |
|
Data
Lake/Analytics |
Lake
Formation on S3 |
Central catalog for data lakes |
High (S3 backed) |
11 9s |
Query via Athena, Redshift, Glue |
S3 pricing + cataloging cost |
Centralized governance & access |
|
Local
Persistent Storage |
Instance
Store |
Temporary disk on EC2 host |
Very high |
Non-persistent |
Ephemeral |
Included with instance |
Fast scratch disk (not backed up) |
Choosing the Right AWS Storage
Use S3 if:
- twtech needs general-purpose, scalable storage for web apps, backups, data lakes, or logs.
Use EBS if:
- twtech needs high IOPS/low-latency storage for EC2 boot volumes or databases.
Use EFS if:
- twtech is running a Linux-based app requiring shared file storage across instances (e.g., container workloads, home directories).
Use FSx for Windows or NetApp if:
- twtech needs enterprise Windows file systems or advanced NAS features.
Use DataSync for:
- Moving large datasets to AWS or cross-cloud data replication.
Use Glacier / Glacier Deep Archive
for:
- Long-term, infrequently accessed backups or compliance archiving.
We Use Storage Gateway if:
- twtech is integrating AWS storage into on-prem apps with SMB/NFS/VTL.
Rough Pricing Tiers (as of 2025, may
vary by region)
|
Service |
Approx. Price
per GB / Month |
|
S3 Standard |
$0.023 |
|
S3 Glacier |
$0.004 |
|
S3 Glacier Deep Archive |
$0.00099 |
|
EBS gp3 |
$0.08 |
|
EFS Standard |
$0.30 |
|
FSx for Windows |
$0.13–$0.25 |
|
FSx for Lustre |
$0.14 |
|
FSx for NetApp |
$0.20–$0.30 |
|
DataSync |
$0.0125 per GB transferred |
|
Transfer Family |
Starts at $0.30/hr per endpoint + data |
Insights
Summary of Storage options:
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