AWS: What is the difference between S3 and EBS?

Elastic Block Storage

Elastic Block Storage is used to store data that requires dynamic content. Dynamic content in this scenario would mean content that is changing quickly and it’s time sensitive. In the real world we would choose elastic block storage to store databases for social media sites because they are constantly changing. Elastic block storage isn’t as easily scalable when it comes to sizing. It’s more of like a hard drive that you attach to your computer for that extra speed when it comes to sending and retrieving data- like extra RAM. S3 is cheaper than EBS because it uses static content– it’s also super scalable and by that I mean unlimited scalability.

S3

Simple storage service can be used to store object based data. Data that would be considered static (unchanging) such as images, documents, JavaScript files etcetera. S3 is not to be used for live message boards okay? Unchanging data is what it is best for and data lakes- large ones too! It is considered a very economical choice for applications and is considered a great choice to backup data in case of an emergency.

There are different types of storage in S3 to choose from that allow you to make the best economic decision for your business. They are called storage classes.

S3 Standard

This class is used for frequently accessed data. You can select it for your website, big data analytics and more. You will use this when you especially want to avoid retrieval fees. S3 standard has a reputation of being reliable with low latency and high availability. So, if you’re a small business it’s best to choose S3 standard and to avoid charges each time there is a request for data.

More storage Classes

S3 Intelligent‑Tiering is basically a hands‑off way to store data that might be accessed a lot, a little, or totally at random. Once you turn it on, it keeps an eye on how often your files are being used. If something hasn’t been touched for 30 days, it automatically moves it to the Infrequent Access tier. If it stays quiet even longer, it can shift into deeper archive tiers. The whole idea is to let AWS handle the shuffling so you only pay for the level of storage you actually need, which can save you a lot of money over time.

So basically it is used for monitoring how often we need the data and then it puts it in the tier optimized storage to save money. It will move data into a deep archive tier when we don’t access the this data for more than 180 days or more if you choose. This is really great for people who forget to change the tier after they used the data or they don’t really know when they will need the data. If it states there is an unpredictable pattern and you don’t know in advanced whether the data will be accessed frequently in terms of S3 always choose Intelligent-tiering.

Amazon S3 Express One Zone

It’s basically super‑fast, single‑digit millisecond storage for data that gets accessed all the time and needs really low latency. It’s built for AI and machine‑learning workloads, where you need answers quickly—even when you’re working with petabytes of analytics. Think of it as high‑performance computing storage that you place in a specific region and availability zone.

It can handle up to 2 million requests per second, and the storage scales automatically as your needs change.

So really, it’s meant for companies running huge models that need information instantly. This service can can handle millions of requests per minute. This is high performance storage.

Amazon S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA)

S3 Standard-IA can be used for data that is retrieved less frequency but when you do it requires fast retrieval. You can use this version of S3 storage for backups that require high availability and immediate access!

Amazon Glacier

Amazon Glacier is meant for data you don’t expect to touch for years. Think long‑term records—like old purchase histories from 2013 or archived client notes from a law office. It’s basically deep storage for information that needs to be kept but rarely accessed.

There are different versions of Glacier, here are some notes to remember.

Glacier Instant Retrieval allows you to access the data you want in seconds even if you haven’t needed it for years.

Glacier Flexible Retrieval is cheaper than Instant retrieval because it takes a few minutes to hours to get the data. This option is best for backups that aren’t urgent or older records.

Glacier Deep Archive is the cheapest and is for the most infrequently accessed data and long term backups. Typically it is for data that you are about to store for seven to ten years or more. It’s the cheapest option but it also takes longer to retrieve the data which is important to remember for your exam.

Conclusion

S3 is for simple static files and has many options to choose from depending on how frequently you need to access and how durable you need it to be. An AWS solution architect is able to determine what pricing is best for your specific business needs whether it be for a live chat board dynamically changing with EBS or a simple website with S3. I hope you found this blog interesting.