“VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, BELAGAVI”

BLDEA's V. P. Dr. P. G. HALAKATTI COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, VIJAYAPUR – 586103

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

CLOUD COMPUTING (21CS72)

REPORT ON :

AWS S3: Storage Services Overview

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Prof. Hema Ingaleshwar

SUBMITTED BY:
Shreeya Managoli (2BL21CS142)
Shubham Chavan (2BL21CS147)
Sonali Javalkar (2BL21CS151)
  Introduction to Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service):

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) is a highly scalable, secure, and durable object
storage service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Launched in March 2006, Amazon
S3 is designed to store and retrieve any amount of data from anywhere on the internet. It
serves as a cornerstone of cloud computing, offering organizations a reliable and cost-
effective way to manage large volumes of unstructured data.

At its core, Amazon S3 provides a simple web services interface that allows users to store
and retrieve data objects through buckets, which act as logical containers. Each object in S3
is uniquely identified by a key and can be up to 5 terabytes in size. These objects can include
files, images, videos, backups, and even big data sets.

One of S3's defining features is its durability and availability. By default, S3 stores data
across multiple geographically separated availability zones, ensuring a durability of
99.999999999% (11 nines) over a given year. This makes it suitable for critical applications
where data loss is unacceptable.

S3 supports a variety of use cases, such as data backup and recovery, content distribution,
data lakes, application hosting, and big data analytics. Its integration with other AWS
services, such as AWS Lambda, Amazon CloudFront, and Amazon Athena, further enhances
its versatility.

To meet diverse customer needs, Amazon S3 offers multiple storage classes, including S3
Standard, S3 Intelligent-Tiering, and S3 Glacier. Each class is tailored to specific use
cases, balancing cost, performance, and retrieval times.

Security and compliance are integral to Amazon S3, with features such as encryption at rest
and in transit, access controls, and audit logs through AWS CloudTrail. It also supports
compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS.
  Key Concepts of S3:

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) is built on several fundamental concepts that
enable it to provide scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud storage. Understanding these
concepts is crucial for leveraging S3 effectively in various use cases.

1. Buckets

Buckets are the primary containers in Amazon S3, where all data is stored. Each bucket is
globally unique within AWS and serves as a namespace for organizing objects. Users specify
the bucket's region, which can optimize data latency and compliance requirements. Bucket-
level settings, such as permissions and policies, control access and behavior.

2. Objects

Objects are the fundamental data entities stored in S3 buckets. Each object comprises:

 Key: The unique identifier for the object within a bucket, similar to a filename.
 Value: The actual data, which can range from a few bytes to 5 terabytes.
 Metadata: Information about the object, such as content type, size, or custom
metadata specified by the user.
 Version ID (if versioning is enabled): Used to track multiple versions of an object.

3. Storage Classes

Amazon S3 offers different storage classes tailored to diverse use cases:

 S3 Standard: For frequently accessed data, offering low latency and high throughput.
 S3 Intelligent-Tiering: Automatically moves data between access tiers based on
usage patterns.
 S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access): For data accessed less frequently but requires
rapid access when needed.
 S3 Glacier and Glacier Deep Archive: Cost-effective solutions for long-term data
archiving.
4. Access Management

S3 provides robust access management features to secure data:

 Bucket Policies and Access Control Lists (ACLs): Define permissions for buckets
and objects.
 AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Grants users and roles fine-grained
access control.
 Public Access Settings: Prevent accidental exposure of data to the public internet.

5. Data Durability and Availability

Amazon S3 ensures 99.999999999% (11 nines) durability by redundantly storing data across
multiple facilities and devices within an AWS region. Availability is maintained through
design for 99.99% uptime in standard classes.

6. Versioning

Versioning allows multiple versions of an object to coexist in a bucket. It helps protect

against accidental deletion or overwrites, facilitating data recovery.

7. Encryption

S3 supports encryption for data at rest and in transit:

 Server-Side Encryption (SSE): AWS manages encryption keys for stored data.
 Client-Side Encryption: Users encrypt data before uploading it to S3.
 Encryption Keys Management: Managed through AWS Key Management Service
(KMS) or custom keys.

8. Lifecycle Policies

Lifecycle policies automate the transition of objects between storage classes or their deletion
after a specified period. This feature helps optimize storage costs.
9. Event Notifications

S3 can trigger notifications for specific events, such as object uploads or deletions, enabling
integration with other AWS services like AWS Lambda or Amazon SQS.

10. Data Transfer Options

S3 provides multiple methods for uploading and downloading data, including S3 Transfer
Acceleration, multipart uploads for large files, and AWS DataSync for automated transfers.

These key concepts make Amazon S3 a versatile and powerful storage solution, supporting a
wide range of use cases, from simple data storage to complex data-driven applications.
  Advanced Features of S3

Amazon S3 offers advanced features that enhance its functionality, making it suitable for
complex data management and analytical workflows. These features enable users to optimize
storage, integrate with other AWS services, and ensure robust security and compliance.

1. S3 Object Lock

S3 Object Lock allows users to protect objects from accidental deletion or overwrites by
enabling write-once-read-many (WORM) capabilities. This feature is particularly valuable
for regulatory compliance and immutable backups.

2. S3 Select

S3 Select enables users to retrieve only a subset of data from an object using SQL queries.
This reduces data transfer and improves performance for applications processing large
datasets, such as analytics workloads.

3. S3 Replication

With Cross-Region and Same-Region Replication, S3 automatically replicates objects

between buckets, enhancing data redundancy, compliance, and availability across geographic
locations.

4. Multi-Region Access Points

Multi-Region Access Points simplify access to S3 data stored across multiple regions,
providing low-latency performance and automatic routing to the nearest region.

5. Storage Lens

Amazon S3 Storage Lens provides advanced visibility into storage usage and activity across
an organization. It offers detailed insights, metrics, and actionable recommendations for
optimizing costs and performance.

These advanced features empower users to build scalable, cost-efficient, and secure storage
solutions tailored to diverse and dynamic workloads.
  Conclusion

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) stands as a cornerstone of cloud storage, offering

unmatched scalability, durability, and flexibility to cater to diverse data storage needs. Its
robust architecture, coupled with advanced features like lifecycle management, replication,
and S3 Select, empowers organizations to optimize storage costs, enhance data accessibility,
and integrate seamlessly with analytical and application workflows. By providing secure,
reliable, and cost-effective solutions, Amazon S3 enables businesses to innovate and scale
with confidence, making it an essential component of the modern cloud ecosystem.