Identify AWS Storage Services

🧺Exam Guide: Cloud Practitioner
Domain 3: Cloud Technology & Services
📘Task Statement 3.6

🎯 What Is This Task Testing?

You need to match storage types to scenarios and recognize key AWS storage services:

• Object storage use cases (Amazon S3)
• Differences between Amazon S3 storage classes
• Block storage options (Amazon EBS, instance store)
• File storage options (Amazon EFS, Amazon FSx)
• Cached/hybrid file access (AWS Storage Gateway)
• When to use lifecycle policies
• When to use AWS Backup

1) 🪣 Object Storage

Amazon S3

Object storage stores data as objects (files + metadata) in buckets.

Common uses for object storage

• backups and archives
• application assets (images, videos, static website content)
• data lakes and analytics storage
• log storage
• distributing large files

“store files durably,” “buckets,” “static content,” or “data lake,” → Amazon S3.

2) 🗂️ Amazon S3 Storage Classes

S3 storage classes are designed for different access patterns and cost trade-offs.

• S3 Standard: general-purpose object storage for frequent access
• S3 Intelligent-Tiering: automatic tiering when access patterns are unknown or change over time
• S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access): less frequent access but still need rapid retrieval
• S3 One Zone-IA: infrequent access and lower cost, but stored in a single AZ, less resilient than multi-AZ classes
• S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval: archive data that still needs instant access (rare, but fast retrieval)
• S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval: archive with flexible retrieval times (minutes to hours)
• S3 Glacier Deep Archive: lowest cost for long-term retention, slowest retrieval (hours)

“lowest cost archive” → Glacier Deep Archive

“unknown access pattern” → Intelligent-Tiering

“infrequent access but immediate retrieval” → Standard-IA

3) 💽 Block Storage

Block storage is typically used for operating systems, databases, and applications that need low-latency disk access.

Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store)

Persistent block storage for EC2 instances.

Use Amazon EBS When:

• you need data to persist even if an instance stops/terminates
• you need reliable block storage for boot volumes or databases
• you want snapshots and durability features

“persistent disk for EC2” → EBS.

Instance Store

Temporary block storage physically attached to the host.

Use Instance Store When:

• you need very fast temporary storage
• you can tolerate data loss if the instance stops, terminates, or the host fails

“ephemeral,” “temporary,” “scratch storage,” “lost when instance stops” → instance store.

4) 📁 File Storage Services (Shared File Systems)

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

A managed, scalable Linux file system that can be mounted by multiple instances.

Use Amazon EFS When:

• you need shared file storage across multiple EC2 instances
• you want a managed NFS-style file system for Linux workloads

“shared Linux file system” → EFS.

Amazon FSx

Managed file systems optimized for specific use cases.

Use Amazon FSx When:

• you need a managed file system designed for a particular environment/workload (commonly Windows or specialized high-performance file systems)

“managed Windows file shares” / “specialized file system needs” → FSx.

5) 🗃️ Cached/Hybrid File Systems

AWS Storage Gateway

AWS Storage Gateway connects on-premises environments to AWS storage.

AWS Storage Gateway Is Necessary Because:

• it supports hybrid storage patterns (on-prem apps using AWS-backed storage)
• it can provide cached access to frequently used data while storing data in AWS

“keep on-prem apps, extend storage to AWS,” “cached local access with cloud-backed storage” → Storage Gateway.

6) 🔁 Lifecycle Policies

Lifecycle policies help automatically manage object data in S3 over time.

Lifecycle Policies Use Cases:

• move objects between storage classes as they age (e.g., Standard → IA → Glacier)
• expire/delete objects after a retention period
• reduce cost without manual file management

“automatically transition to cheaper storage after 30/90 days” → S3 lifecycle policy.

7) 🛡️ Centralized Backup Management

AWS Backup

AWS Backup is a managed service that helps centralize and automate backups across multiple AWS services.

Use AWS Backup When:

• you want a single place to define backup plans, schedules, and retention
• you want consistent backup policies across accounts/resources
• you want simplified compliance reporting around backups

“centralized backup policy,” “manage backups across services” → AWS Backup.

✅ Quick Exam-Style Summary

• Object storage: Amazon S3 (buckets, files, backups, data lakes).
• S3 storage classes: choose based on access frequency + archive needs (Intelligent-Tiering for unknown patterns, Glacier tiers for archives).
• Block storage: EBS (persistent) vs instance store (temporary/ephemeral).
• File storage: EFS (shared Linux), FSx (managed file systems for specific needs like Windows).
• Hybrid/cached access: AWS Storage Gateway.
• Lifecycle policies automate transitions/expiration to cut costs.
• AWS Backup centralizes backup scheduling, retention, and management.

Additional Resources

Storage