AWS offers a wide range of storage services that can be provisioned depending on your project requirements and use case. AWS storage services have different provisions for highly confidential data, frequently accessed data, and not-so-frequently accessed data. You can choose from various storage types namely, object storage, file storage, block storage services, backups, and data migration options. All of which fall under the AWS Storage Services list.
AWS Glacier: From the aforementioned list, AWS Glacier, is the backup and archival storage provided by AWS. It is an extremely low-cost, long-term, durable, secure storage service that is ideal for backups and archival needs. In a lot of its operations AWS Glacier is similar to S3, and, it interacts directly with S3, using S3-lifecycle policies. However, the main difference between AWS S3 and Glacier is the cost structure. The cost of storing the same amount of data in AWS Glacier is significantly less as compared to S3. Storage costs in Glacier can be as little as $1 for one petabyte of data per month.
AWS Glacier Terminology
1. Vaults: Vaults are virtual containers that are used to store data. Vaults in AWS Glacier are similar to buckets in S3.
- Each Vault has its specific access policies(Vault lock/access policies). Thus providing you with more control over who has what kind of access to your data.
- Vaults are region-specific.
2. Archives: Archives are the fundamental entity type stored in Vaults. Archives in AWS Glacier are similar to Objects in S3. Virtually you have unlimited storage capacity on AWS Glacier and hence, can store an unlimited number of archives in a vault.
3. Vault Access Policies: In addition to the basic IAM controls AWS Glacier offers Vault access policies that help managers and administrators have more granular control of their data.
- Each vault has its own set of Vault Access Policies.
- If either of Vault Access Policy or IAM control doesn’t pass for some user action. The user is not declared unauthorized.
4. Vault Lock Policies: Vault lock policies are exactly like Vault access policies but once set, they cannot be changed.
- Specific to each bucket.
- This helps you with data compliance controls. For example- Your business administrators might want some highly confidential data to be only accessible to the root user of the account, no matter what. Vault lock policy for such a use case can be written for the required vaults.
Features of AWS Glacier
- Given the extremely cheap storage, provided by AWS Glacier, it doesn’t provide as many features as AWS S3. Access to data in AWS Glacier is an extremely slow process.
- Just like S3, AWS Glacier can essentially store all kinds of data types and objects.
- Durability: AWS Glacier, just like Amazon S3, claims to have a 99.9999999% of durability (11 9’s). This means the possibility of losing your data stored in one of these services one in a billion. AWS Glacier replicates data across multiple Availability Zones for providing high durability.
- Data Retrieval Time: Data retrieval from AWS Glacier can be as fast as 1-5 minutes (high-cost retrieval) to 5-12 hours(cheap data retrieval).
-
AWS Glacier Console: The AWS Glacier dashboard is not as intuitive and friendly as AWS S3. The Glacier console can only be used to create vaults. Data transfer to and from AWS Glacier can only be done via some kind of code. This functionality is provided via:
- AWS Glacier API
- AWS SDKs
- Region-specific costs: The cost of storing data in AWS Glacier varies from region to region.
-
Security:
- AWS Glacier automatically encrypts your data using the AES-256 algorithm and manages its keys for you.
- Apart from normal IAM controls AWS Glacier also has resource policies (vault access policies and vault lock policies) that can be used to manage access to your Glacier vaults.
- Infinite Storage Capacity: Virtually AWS Glacier is supposed to have infinite storage capacity.
Data Transfer In Glacier
1. Data Upload
-
Data can be uploaded to AWS Glacier by creating a vault from the Glacier console and using one of the following methods:
- Write code that uses AWS Glacier SDK to upload data.
- Write code that uses AWS Glacier API to upload data.
- S3 Lifecycle policies: S3 lifecycle policies can be set to upload S3 objects to AWS Glacier after some time. This can be used to backup old and infrequently access data stored in S3.
2. Data Transfer Between Regions
AWS Glacier is a region-specific service. Data in one region can be transferred to another from the AWS console. This cost of suck a data transfer is $0.02.
3. Data Retrieval
As mentioned before, AWS Glacier is a backup and data archive service, given its low cost of storage, AWS Glacier data is not readily available for consumption.
- Data retrieval from Glacier can only be done via some sort of code, using AWS Glacier SDK or the Glacier API.
-
Data Retrieval in AWS Glacier is of three types:
-
Expedited:
- This mode of data retrieval is only suggested for urgent requirements of data.
- A single expedited retrieval request can only be used to retrieve 250MB of data at max.
- This data is then provided to you within 1-5 minutes.
- The cost of expedited retrieval is $0.03 per GB and 0.01 per request.
-
Standard:
- This data retrieval mode can be used for any size of data, full or partial archive.
- This data is then provided to you within 3-5 hours.
- The cost of standard retrieval is $0.01 per GB and $0.05 per 1000 requests.
-
Bulk:
- This data retrieval is suggested for mass retrieval of data (petabytes of data).
- It is the cheapest data retrieval option offered by AWS Glacier
- This data is then provided to you within 5-12 hours.
- The cost of bulk retrieval is 0.0025 per GB and 0.025 per 1000 requests
-
Expedited:
Benefits of Amazon Glacier
- Lower Cost: Glacier is intended to be Amazon’s most affordable storage class. When compared to other Amazon storage service, this allows an organization to store large amounts of data at a lower cost.
- Upholds archive database: It is not mandatory for an organization to keep up its own archival database. Administrative duties including hardware and capacity planning are handled by AWS.
- Durability: Glacier can restore data more easily in the event that it is lost in one of the three actual AWS Availability Zones where it is distributed at any one time.
- Scalability: Businesses are able to adjust the amount of data they store as needed. Businesses have a choice between bulk, standard, and expedited retrievals.
Difference between Amazon Glacier and Amazon S3
| Feature | Amazon Glacier | Amazon S3 |
|---|---|---|
| Use Case | Long-term archival of infrequently accessed data. | Frequently accessed data with low-latency requirements. |
| Storage Cost | Lower storage costs, making it economical for long-term retention. | Generally higher storage costs, suitable for actively used data. |
| Durability | High durability with redundant storage across multiple facilities. | High durability with multiple storage classes, each with its redundancy strategy. |
| Retrieval Time | Longer retrieval times (Standard, Expedited, Bulk options available). | Near-instantaneous retrieval for frequently accessed data. |
| Lifecycle Policies | Supports lifecycle policies for automated data management. | Supports lifecycle policies but focused on different storage classes. |
| Data Transfer Acceleration | Supports AWS Transfer Acceleration for faster data uploads. | Supports AWS Transfer Acceleration for faster data uploads. |
| Security | Robust security features, including encryption at rest and in transit. | Robust security features, including encryption at rest and in transit. |
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
1. What is Amazon Glacier, and the way does it differ from other Amazon S3 storage classes?
Amazon Glacier is a cloud storage provider designed for long-term data archival, imparting cost-effective solution for infrequently accessed records. Unlike other Amazon S3 storage classes are optimized for frequent access, Glacier provides a cheaper solution for data that doesn’t require instantaneous retrieval.
2. How does the pricing structure of Amazon Glacier work?
Amazon Glacier’s pricing is based at the quantity of data stored, and it offers distinct retrieval alternatives with various costs. Users are charged based totally on the amount of data stored, records switch out of Glacier, and any additional retrieval fees related to expedited or bulk retrievals.
3. What are the important thing protection capabilities of Amazon Glacier?
Amazon Glacier prioritizes security and offers encryption at rest and throughout transit. Data is encrypted the use of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256), making sure the confidentiality and integrity of stored records. Access controls and audit logs also are to be had to beautify protection.
4. How does data retrieval work in Amazon Glacier, and what are the special retrieval alternatives?
Data retrieval in Amazon Glacier isn’t immediately like in extra often accessed storage instructions. It gives three retrieval alternatives: Standard, Expedited, and Bulk. Standard retrieval is appropriate for most use instances, while Expedited retrieval gives quicker access at a better price, and Bulk retrieval is the most low in cost choice with the slowest access.