Amazon S3 Storage Classes for Data with Unknown/Changing Access Pattern

Suggested Amazon S3 Storage Class

Question

You are asked to suggest an appropriate Amazon S3 storage class for “data with unknown/changing access pattern”

Which one would you suggest?

Answers

Explanations

Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer

A. B. C. D.

Answer: A.

Option A is CORRECT.

Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering is best suited for data with “unknown/changing access pattern”.

Option B is INCORRECT.

S3 standard is ideal for general-purpose storage of frequently accessed data.

Option C is INCORRECT.

Amazon S3 Glacier is preferable for archival of data for a long term.

Option D is INCORRECT.

Amazon S3 Standard-Infrequent Access is better suited for less frequently accessed, long-lived data.

Reference:

https://aws.amazon.com/s3/storage-classes/

For data with an unknown or changing access pattern, the best Amazon S3 storage class to use would be Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering.

Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering is a storage class that automatically moves objects between two access tiers: one tier optimized for frequent access and another for infrequent access. This allows you to automatically and seamlessly optimize costs for data with unknown or changing access patterns, as Intelligent-Tiering can detect and respond to changes in access patterns.

For example, if a file is frequently accessed at first but then access decreases over time, Intelligent-Tiering can automatically move that file to the infrequent access tier to save costs. Conversely, if a file is accessed infrequently at first but then access increases, Intelligent-Tiering can move that file to the frequent access tier to ensure faster access times.

In contrast, the other S3 storage classes listed would not be as appropriate for data with an unknown or changing access pattern:

  • Amazon S3 Standard is optimized for frequently accessed data and would not be cost-effective for infrequently accessed data.
  • Amazon S3 Glacier is optimized for long-term data archival and retrieval, so it would not be suitable for data that is frequently accessed or for which access patterns are unknown.
  • Amazon S3 Standard-Infrequent Access is optimized for infrequently accessed data but does not have the automatic tiering feature of Intelligent-Tiering, so it may not be as effective in optimizing costs for data with unknown or changing access patterns.