Hey everyone 👋
If you’ve been exploring AWS, you’ve probably realized pretty quickly that there are a lot of storage options — EBS, S3, EFS, Instance Store, FSx… 😵💫
At first, it all felt like picking the right tool from a toolbox I didn’t even know how to open. But once I broke it down by use case, access patterns, and what the app actually needed, everything started to click.
Let me explain AWS storage the way I wish someone had explained it to me 👇
📦 Think of AWS Storage Like Types of Luggage
Imagine packing for a trip:
- 🧳 Suitcase with folders and files? That’s file storage (EFS)
- 🔐 A hard drive you carry everywhere? That’s block storage (EBS)
- 📦 Dropbox or Google Drive? That’s object storage (S3)
Now let’s break each one down the AWS way…
⚙️ Amazon EBS — Block Storage for Your Compute
When you launch an EC2 instance, you need something to store the OS, app, and data. That’s where Amazon EBS comes in.
It’s like plugging an external SSD into your EC2 — fast, flexible, and persistent.
✅ Use EBS when:
- You’re running a database or a high-performance app
- You need to store state (boot volumes, logs, etc.)
- You want data to survive even if the instance stops or terminates
🚫 Don’t use EBS when:
- You need to share storage across multiple EC2s (use EFS instead)
- You want to access files from the internet (use S3 instead)
🗃️ Amazon S3 — Object Storage for Everything Else
This is where AWS truly shines. Amazon S3 is the backbone of so many AWS workloads — media hosting, static websites, backups, data lakes, and more.
Unlike EBS, S3 isn’t tied to any EC2. You just upload a file (an object), and it’s accessible globally via URL — if you want it to be.
✅ Use S3 when:
- You want scalable, durable storage with 99.999999999% durability
- You’re storing images, videos, logs, backups, or static assets
- You want access from anywhere (via API, browser, SDKs)
🚫 Don’t use S3 when:
- You need file-level access like
ls,cd,cat - Your app requires a mounted drive (use EFS)
📁 Amazon EFS — A Shared Folder for Your EC2s
Amazon EFS is AWS’s answer to a shared drive. It’s a file system you can mount to multiple EC2 instances at once.
If you’re running something like a WordPress site on multiple EC2s, and they all need to access the same files? EFS is your best friend.
✅ Use EFS when:
- You need shared access across EC2s
- You’re working with Linux workloads
- You want a familiar folder-and-file structure
🚫 Don’t use EFS when:
- You need super low-latency access to storage (EBS is faster)
- You’re only mounting to one EC2 (EBS may be simpler)
💨 EC2 Instance Store — Fast But Ephemeral
Think of this like your EC2’s internal scratchpad. Instance Store is physically attached to the host — so it’s fast, but once the instance is stopped or terminated, the data is gone.
✅ Use Instance Store when:
- You need blazing fast, temporary storage
- You're caching, buffering, or doing short-lived computations
🚫 Don’t use Instance Store when:
- You want your data to survive reboot or termination
- You’re storing anything critical or irreplaceable
💼 Amazon FSx — Managed File Systems for Special Workloads
Need a Windows file share or high-performance storage for HPC or ML workloads? Amazon FSx has your back. It supports file systems like NetApp ONTAP, OpenZFS, Windows File Server, and Lustre.
✅ Use FSx when:
- You’re migrating enterprise workloads that rely on specific file systems
- You need performance or compatibility beyond what EFS offers
🎯 RECAP — Which AWS Storage Should You Use?
| Use Case | Best Storage |
|---|---|
| Store media, logs, backups, static sites | Amazon S3 |
| Persistent, block-level storage for EC2 | Amazon EBS |
| Shared access across EC2s (Linux) | Amazon EFS |
| Temporary, high-speed compute cache | Instance Store |
| Specialized or Windows-based workloads | Amazon FSx |
🧠 Final Thoughts
When you’re first learning AWS, it’s easy to confuse S3, EBS, and EFS. But once you map them to how your application stores and accesses data, it becomes second nature.
Here’s the golden rule I use:
❓“Is it tied to a specific EC2?” → EBS or Instance Store
❓“Do I want to share it?” → EFS
❓“Do I want to access it anywhere or store objects?” → S3
Hope this post helped make storage feel less overwhelming.
Let me know in the comments — which AWS storage service surprised you the most? Or which one do you use daily?
Would love to connect with other builders and AWS learners here or on LinkedIn 💬☁️
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