Quick Overview: Choose Storage Based on Performance, Access Patterns, and Cost
Choosing the right AWS storage service is crucial for optimizing application performance, scalability, and cost. This guide breaks down Amazon's three primary storage options—EBS, EFS, and S3—organized by performance tiers to help you make informed decisions for your workloads.
- EBS (Tier 1) → Single-instance, high-performance workloads such as databases or boot volumes
- EFS (Tier 2) → Shared file systems for multi-instance or collaborative applications
- S3 (Tier 3) → Internet-scale object storage for web apps, backups, and data lakes
AWS storage services can be classified into three performance-based tiers:
| Tier | Service | Storage Type | Description | Best For |
|---|
| Tier 1 (Fastest) | EBS (Elastic Block Store) | Block Storage | High-speed volumes attached to EC2 instances. Low latency, high IOPS. | Databases, boot volumes, HPC |
| Tier 2 (Moderate) | EFS (Elastic File System) | File Storage | Scalable NFS-based shared storage accessible by multiple EC2 instances. | Multi-instance apps, collaborative workloads |
| Tier 3 (Cost-Optimized) | S3 (Simple Storage Service) | Object Storage | Internet-scale storage accessible via REST API. High durability and scalability. | Web apps, backups, data lakes |
Amazon EBS provides block-level storage directly attached to EC2 instances. It is ideal for performance-critical workloads.
| Metric | Value |
|---|
| Latency | 1–10 ms (sub-millisecond for io2 volumes) |
| IOPS | Up to 64,000 (io2) |
| Throughput | Up to 4,000 MiB/s |
| Durability | 99.999% – 99.9999% |
| Availability | 99.999% |
- Accessible only via attached EC2 instances (block-level)
- Appears as a virtual hard drive inside your VM
| Category | Suitability | Notes |
|---|
| Databases | ✅ Primary Choice | MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle |
| Boot Volumes | ✅ Primary Choice | EC2 OS disks |
| High-Performance Computing | ✅ Ideal | Consistent IOPS required |
| Single-Instance File Systems | ✅ Excellent | High-performance local storage |
| Shared Storage | ❌ Not Suitable | Cannot be accessed by multiple instances |
Amazon EFS provides scalable, NFS-based storage accessible by multiple EC2 instances simultaneously. It balances performance with flexibility.
| Metric | Value |
|---|
| Latency | 1–3 ms (General Purpose) |
| File Operations | Up to 7,000 ops/sec |
| Throughput | 10+ GB/s aggregate |
| Durability | 99.999999999% (11 nines) |
| Availability | 99.9% |
- Provides an NFS file system interface
- Supports concurrent access from multiple EC2 instances
| Category | Suitability | Notes |
|---|
| Content Management | ✅ Primary Choice | Multi-server access |
| Shared File Systems | ✅ Primary Choice | NFS-compatible |
| Distributed Applications | ✅ Ideal | Multi-instance workloads |
| Collaborative Workflows | ✅ Perfect Match | Concurrent access |
| Boot Volumes | ❌ Not Suitable | NFS unsuitable for OS |
Amazon S3 offers virtually unlimited, cost-effective storage accessible via REST API or web interface. It is ideal for web applications, backups, and analytics.
| Metric | Value |
|---|
| Latency | 100–200 ms (first byte) |
| Requests | 3,500–5,500 requests/sec per prefix |
| Object Size | Up to 5 TB per object |
| Durability | 99.999999999% (11 nines) |
| Availability | 99.9% – 99.99% |
- Web-accessible via REST API or AWS Management Console
- Supports integration with web/mobile apps, CDNs, and backup systems
| Category | Suitability | Notes |
|---|
| Web Applications | ✅ Perfect Match | Static assets, images |
| Content Distribution | ✅ Primary Choice | Global CDN integration |
| Backup & Archive | ✅ Cost-effective | Long-term storage |
| Data Lakes | ✅ Ideal | Big data analytics |
| Databases | ❌ Not Suitable | High latency for transactional workloads |
| Feature | EBS (Tier 1) | EFS (Tier 2) | S3 (Tier 3) |
|---|
| Storage Type | Block | File | Object |
| Access Method | EC2 Only | NFS | REST API / Web |
| Accessibility | Private | Private (Multiple EC2) | Internet/Public |
| Scalability | Manual | Automatic | Automatic |
| Concurrent Access | Single EC2 | Multiple EC2 | Unlimited |
| Max Storage | 64 TiB per volume | Petabyte scale | Virtually unlimited |
| Service (Tier) | Storage Cost / GB / Month (USD) | Best For Budget |
|---|
| S3 (Tier 3) | $0.023 | ✅ Most Cost-Effective |
| EBS (Tier 1) | $0.08 | ⚠️ Moderate Cost |
| EFS (Tier 2) | $0.30 | ❌ Highest Cost |
Insight: Cost scales with performance. Choose EBS for speed, EFS for shared access, and S3 for scale and cost-efficiency. Consider hidden costs like S3 requests, EFS throughput scaling, or EBS snapshot storage.
- Performance Hierarchy: EBS > EFS > S3
- Access Patterns Drive Choice:
- Single-instance high-performance → EBS
- Multi-instance shared → EFS
- Internet-scale → S3
- Cost vs Performance Trade-off: Higher performance comes at a higher cost
- Scalability: EBS requires manual management; EFS and S3 scale automatically
- Decision Framework: Match storage tier to application needs for optimal performance, cost, and accessibility
Understanding AWS storage tiers helps architects balance speed, cost, and accessibility. Future innovations may bridge performance gaps while retaining the unique advantages of each service.
