Hi folks! Welcome to Day 8 of 100 Days of AWS🎯, where we will cover the complete AWS cloud from beginner to professional. Today, we will expand our horizons in the AWS cloud by understanding why storage is important in aws types of Storage. AWS service offering for each storage section. features, downsides, and use cases of AWS Elastic block storage. features, downsides, and use cases of AWS Elastic File Storage. Let’s get started🚀!
Day 8 Overview;
On Day 8, we covered the Basics of Networking in AWS extensively, discussing the properties of default VPC types of traffic and the types of firewalls provided by AWS to ensure their customers keep the infrastructures secure at the network level. If you want to dive deep into this topic or revise it, please click here.
Storage in AWS;
AWS provides a broad portfolio of storage services with deep functionality for storing, accessing, protecting, and analyzing your data. we will limit our scope to the Data Storage service offered by AWS. other categories are covered in further blogs.
Before understanding Data storage services provided by AWS it becomes mandatory to understand what is storage and its types.
In the context of computing and technology, storage refers to the process of saving Digital data in a virtual location, so it can be retrieved, processed or used later. Storage can hold various types of data, including files, documents, images, videos, databases, or even application states.
Types of Storage;
In cloud and enterprise environments, data storage is primarily classified into Block storage, File storage, and Object storage. each type serves different use cases and has distinct characteristics.
Block Storage;
Block Storage breaks up data into blocks and then stores those blocks as separate pieces, each with a unique identifier.
Blocks function independently and can be accessed or modified without impacting others.
A collection of blocks can be presented to the OS as a volume. the operating system then creates a filesystem on top of it.
A collection of blocks can presented as a hard drive. then block storage can also be made bootable which means an Operating system can be installed on it.
File Storage;
Data is stored as files organized in a hierarchical data structure. Files are identified by names and paths.
Filesystem can be accessible remotely in a network. subdirectories can be created
File storage is accessible over the network. and multiple clients can access the same data at a time.
File storage is mounted to a local file system or a virtual machine over the network using supported protocols (NFS/SMB)
They are not bootable. so, you can install an operating system on it
Object Storage;
Data is stored as an object. which includes the data itself, metadata, and a unique identifier.
Objects are stored in a flat namespace. Flat file structure. means everything is in the same folder.
Objects are nothing more than files. and can store any type of file.
since there is no folder structure objects cannot be mounted or booted.
Block Storage in AWS;
Amazon Elastic Block Store EBS provides persistent block storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances in the AWS cloud.
Each Amazon EBS volume is automatically replicated within its availability zone to protect you from component failure, offering high availability and durability.
Amazon EBS volume offers consistent and low-latency performance needed to run your workloads. In EBS you can scale your usage up or down within minutes. all while paying a low price for what you using.
EBS will be able to attach to the EC2 instances in the same availability zones.
EBS Features;
High-performance options for critical workloads.
Data persists independently of the EC2 instance life cycle.
Snapshots for backup and disaster Recovery.
End-to-End encryption for data at rest and in transit.
EBS Downsides;
A single EBS volume can only be attached to a single EC2 instance at a time.
volumes are tied to specific Availability zones. and need snapshots for cross-region replication.
High-performance volume (e.g. io2) can be expensive.
use-cases of EBS;
Persistent storage for ec2 Instances, databases, and applications.
for EC2 instances to run applications or operating systems.
Applications requiring quick read/write access, such as transaction processing system.
File Storage in AWS;
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) Provides a simple, scalable, elastic file system for Linux-based workloads for use with AWS cloud services and on-premise resources.
It is built to scale on demand to petabytes without disrupting applications, growing and shrinking automatically as you add and remove files. so your application has the storage they need when they needed.
You can access your file systems across Availability Zones and AWS Regions and share files between thousands of Amazon EC2 instances and on-premises servers via AWS Direct Connect or AWS VPN.
EFS features;
Fully scalable and Highly available.
supports the NFS protocol.
EFS Down Sides;
Higher Latency compared to EBS, making it unsuitable for high-performance workloads.
Pricing can be higher than EBS for smaller datasets due to scalability feature.
use-cases of EFS;
Shared workloads, Applications requiring concurrent access to the same data, like web servers or containerized apps..
Centralized storage for processing and analyzing large datasets.
Hosting shared files, user home directories, or collaborative workflows.
Day 9 Wrap Up;
In conclusion, understanding the various types of storage services offered by AWS is crucial for effectively managing and utilizing data in the cloud. AWS provides a comprehensive range of storage solutions, including block storage, file storage, and object storage, each designed to meet specific needs and use cases. Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) offers high-performance, persistent block storage for EC2 instances, ideal for applications requiring quick read/write access. Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) provides scalable and elastic file storage, perfect for shared workloads and applications needing concurrent data access. By leveraging these services, users can ensure their applications have the necessary storage resources, optimize performance, and maintain data availability and durability. As we continue our journey through AWS, we will explore more advanced storage options and their applications in the cloud.
Summary & Key points;
AWS storage services play a critical role in enabling businesses to efficiently store, manage, and retrieve their data.
Storage types are block storage, file storage, and object storage.
Block Storage is either mountable or bootable.
File Storage is mountable.
Object Storage is neither mountable nor bootable.
EBS is used for Persistent Data mounts & snapshots.
EFS is used for shared Workloads and Centralized Storage.
Up Next on Day 10;
Object storage service offered by AWS.
Different Storage classes provided by AWS for efficient storage management in a cost-effective way.