Understanding AWS Storage Types & Use Cases

AWS offers various storage options to meet different use cases, balancing performance, scalability, durability, and cost. SecureCart, as an e-commerce platform, needs to store and manage product images, order transactions, logs, and customer data efficiently using the appropriate AWS storage services.

✔ Why does SecureCart need different AWS storage types?

• Scalability: Handles growing product catalogs and customer data.

• Performance: Ensures fast access to frequently used data (e.g., customer sessions, inventory updates).

• Durability: Prevents data loss by replicating storage across multiple AWS Availability Zones (AZs).

• Cost Optimization: Uses tiered storage solutions for cost-effective data management.

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🔹 Step 1: Overview of AWS Storage Types

✔ AWS Storage is categorized into three main types:

Storage Type	Purpose	SecureCart Use Case
Object Storage (Amazon S3)	Stores unstructured data such as images, backups, and logs.	Stores product images, order receipts, and static website content.
Block Storage (Amazon EBS)	Provides low-latency storage for compute workloads (EC2).	Stores SecureCart’s database files and transaction logs for high-speed access.
File Storage (Amazon EFS & FSx)	Provides shared storage for multiple instances.	Hosts shared files for SecureCart’s microservices and application logs.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Use S3 for durable, cost-effective storage of static assets. ✔ Use EBS for databases requiring low-latency access. ✔ Use EFS for microservices that require shared file systems.

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🔹 Step 2: Object Storage with Amazon S3

✔ What is Amazon S3? Amazon S3 is a highly scalable, durable, and secure object storage service that is ideal for storing unstructured data like media files, logs, backups, and static content.

✔ Key Features of S3:

• 99.999999999% (11 nines) durability for data reliability.

• Global availability with Cross-Region Replication (CRR).

• Lifecycle policies for automatic archiving and cost optimization.

✔ SecureCart’s Use Cases for Amazon S3:

Feature	Purpose	SecureCart Implementation
S3 Standard	General-purpose, high-performance storage.	Stores product images and static website files.
S3 Intelligent-Tiering	Auto-moves data between access tiers based on usage.	Optimizes storage costs for transaction logs.
S3 Glacier	Low-cost archival storage.	Stores order history and compliance-related data.
S3 Object Lock	Protects objects from being deleted or modified.	Prevents accidental deletion of transaction records.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Use S3 Lifecycle Policies to move data to lower-cost tiers automatically. ✔ Enable versioning to protect against accidental overwrites or deletions. ✔ Encrypt all sensitive data in S3 using AWS KMS.

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🔹 Step 3: Block Storage with Amazon EBS

✔ What is Amazon EBS? Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) is low-latency, high-performance storage designed for use with Amazon EC2 instances. It provides persistence for compute workloads such as databases and transaction logs.

✔ SecureCart’s Use Cases for Amazon EBS:

EBS Volume Type	Purpose	SecureCart Implementation
gp3 (General Purpose SSD)	Balances cost and performance for most workloads.	Used for SecureCart’s database and web servers.
io2 (Provisioned IOPS SSD)	High-performance database storage.	Ensures low-latency access for checkout transactions.
st1 (Throughput Optimized HDD)	Optimized for sequential workloads like big data.	Used for SecureCart’s analytics and reporting systems.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Use Multi-Attach EBS for high-availability architectures. ✔ Enable EBS Snapshots for backup and disaster recovery. ✔ Monitor and optimize EBS IOPS to match application needs.

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🔹 Step 4: File Storage with Amazon EFS & Amazon FSx

✔ What is Amazon EFS & Amazon FSx? Amazon EFS and FSx provide shared file storage for applications that require multiple compute resources to access the same data.

✔ SecureCart’s Use Cases for File Storage:

File Storage Service	Purpose	SecureCart Implementation
Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)	Scalable, serverless file storage for Linux workloads.	Hosts shared assets for SecureCart’s application microservices.
Amazon FSx for Windows	Fully managed Windows file server.	Supports SecureCart’s legacy applications that require SMB-based file sharing.
Amazon FSx for Lustre	High-speed parallel file system.	Enhances SecureCart’s AI-based product recommendations.

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Use EFS for applications requiring shared storage across multiple EC2 instances. ✔ Enable automatic backups and encryption for FSx. ✔ Choose FSx for Lustre when performance-intensive workloads are required.

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🔹 Step 5: Comparing AWS Storage Services for SecureCart

✔ Which storage solution is right for SecureCart’s workloads?

Requirement	Recommended AWS Service
Scalable object storage for product images and logs	Amazon S3
High-performance block storage for databases	Amazon EBS
Shared file storage for microservices	Amazon EFS
Low-cost archival storage for transaction history	Amazon S3 Glacier
Real-time session caching for fast access	Amazon ElastiCache (Redis)

✅ Best Practices: ✔ Use a combination of S3, EBS, and EFS based on workload needs. ✔ Optimize cost by moving infrequently accessed data to archival storage (S3 Glacier). ✔ Monitor storage performance using Amazon CloudWatch.

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🚀 Summary

✔ Use Amazon S3 for scalable, cost-effective object storage. ✔ Deploy Amazon EBS for high-performance block storage, especially for databases. ✔ Utilize Amazon EFS and FSx for shared file storage across applications. ✔ Optimize cost and performance using storage tiering and caching. ✔ Monitor storage utilization and performance using AWS monitoring tools.

Scenario:

SecureCart must choose the right storage types for its applications, considering performance, cost, and scalability.

Key Learning Objectives:

✅ Understand object, file, and block storage types ✅ Learn when to use Amazon S3, EFS, and EBS ✅ Identify appropriate storage services for different workloads

Hands-on Labs:

1️⃣ Deploy an S3 Bucket & Enable Versioning 2️⃣ Set Up Amazon EBS for an EC2 Instance 3️⃣ Create an Amazon EFS File System for Shared Storage

🔹 Outcome: SecureCart chooses the right AWS storage services based on workload requirements.