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Sachith Fernando
Sachith Fernando

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Manage Amazon S3 Storage Cost with Lifecycle Rules

Hello World! ✌️

In the last article, we introduced Amazon S3 Storage Classes with use cases. As an extension of that, today we are going to discuss Amazon S3 storage costs with lifecycle rules.

As we talked earlier, Amazon S3 is a durable, scalable, and flexible storage service. It provides options for various kinds of storage classes optimized for cases of frequent access all the way through to archival storage.

Amazon S3 also allows you to set lifecycle rules on how it automatically transitions your objects between the various classes of storage. You can even set expiration dates for object deletion. In this way, it helps you optimize storage costs by automating the movement of objects to the most cost-effective storage class if its access pattern changes over time. A lifecycle rule, in general, comprises two actions: Transition Actions and Expiration Actions.

Let’s dive into these actions and understand how they work using the below image.

Example

Transition Actions

Transition actions are rules that automatically move objects to more cost-efficient storage classes.

In the example image lifecycle policy:

S3 Standard: The object mydoc.pdf is initially stored in the S3 Standard class for the first 30 days. This class is optimized for frequent access with low latency.

S3 Standard-IA: After 30 days, the object automatically transitions to the S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access) storage class. This move is more cost-effective for data that is accessed less frequently, as it reduces storage costs while imposing a fee for data retrieval.

S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval: After another 60 days in S3 Standard-IA, the object transitions to the S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval storage class. This class is designed for long-term archival where the data is rarely accessed but still needs to be available. The storage cost here is even lower, though retrieval is slower and can take from minutes to hours, with associated costs.

These transitions are automated based on predefined rules, allowing you to optimize storage costs without manual intervention.

Expiration Actions

Expiration actions automatically delete objects after a specified period. This is useful for managing data lifecycle and compliance requirements, ensuring that objects does not incur unnecessary storage costs.

In the example image lifecycle policy:

Deletion: Finally, after 365 days in S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, the object is deleted. This expiration action ensures that the object is not kept in the S3 bucket, thus avoiding unnecessary storage costs.

S3 Lifecycle Rules Benefits

Cost Efficiency: You can save a lot of storage costs by migrating data through classes of storage, especially for data that, over time, becomes less frequently accessed.

Automated Management: The lifecycle rules perform automation in data management, hence reducing the need for manual interventions.

Compliance and Governance: The use of Expiration Actions allows for data retention policies and compliance requirements by deleting data automatically when it is no longer needed.

Scalability: One can manage the make of data at scale through S3 lifecycle regulations.

In other words, Amazon S3 Lifecycle Rules provide powerful tools to keep your storage costs optimized among various classes. Understanding and adhering to such rules would ensure that throughout the data's life cycle, it is cost-effectively stored.

Have a great day, and see you soon with another incredible topic!

Enjoy

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Top comments (2)

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madushi_gamage_d5ee729634 profile image
Madushi Gamage

Insightful ✌️

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sachithmayantha profile image
Sachith Fernando

Thank you!

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