A data architect is designing a highly available and durable storage solution for critical application backups. The backups are rarely accessed but must be retrievable within minutes in case of a disaster. The data volume is expected to be in the petabytes, and cost-effectiveness for long-term storage is a primary concern. Which Amazon S3 storage class offers the best balance of cost, durability, and retrieval time for this scenario?
- AS3 Glacier Deep Archive
- BS3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
- CS3 Standard
- DS3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is designed for archive data that requires immediate access (milliseconds) but is accessed less frequently, offering a balance of low storage cost and rapid retrieval. S3 Standard is too expensive for rarely accessed petabytes. S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval and Deep Archive have retrieval times of minutes to hours or even days, which does not meet the 'retrievable within minutes' requirement for critical backups.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. S3 Glacier Deep Archive has retrieval times of hours to days, making it unsuitable for data that needs to be 'retrievable within minutes'.
- C. S3 Standard is designed for frequently accessed data and would be significantly more expensive for rarely accessed petabyte-scale backups.
- D. S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval has retrieval times ranging from minutes to hours, which might not always meet the 'within minutes' requirement for critical disaster recovery.
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is an archive storage class that delivers the lowest cost storage for data that is rarely accessed, but requires immediate retrieval (in milliseconds).
- Lowest cost storage for infrequently accessed data.
- Retrieval in milliseconds.
- Designed for archive data that needs immediate access.
- Offers 11 nines of durability.
- Ideal for critical backups, medical images, or news media assets requiring fast access.
Memory trick: Standard's fast, IA's a blend, Glacier's slow, but low cost to the end.