Link copied to clipboard!
Group 6: Block Storage & Backup
Persistent block storage and backup solutions for EC2: EBS, EBS Snapshots, AWS Backup.
Storage Principle: Balance IOPS performance, throughput, durability, and cost based on workload characteristics and RTO/RPO requirements.
Services & Roles
EBS gp3
General purpose SSD with independent IOPS & throughput provisioning.
- 3,000-16,000 IOPS
- 125-1,000 MiB/s
- Cost effective
EBS io2
Provisioned IOPS SSD for critical applications with sub-millisecond latency.
- Up to 64,000 IOPS
- 99.999% durability
- Multi-attach support
EBS st1
Throughput optimized HDD for frequently accessed, sequential workloads.
- Up to 500 MiB/s
- Burst to 250 IOPS
- Big data analytics
EBS Snapshots
Incremental point-in-time backups stored in S3 with global availability.
- Incremental backup
- Cross-region copy
- Fast snapshot restore
AWS Backup
Centralized backup across AWS services with policy-based automation.
- Cross-service backup
- Compliance reporting
- Point-in-time recovery
Key Differences
| Dimension | EBS gp3 | EBS io2 | EBS st1 | EBS Snapshots | AWS Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Balanced | Ultra high IOPS | High throughput | Recovery speed | Backup speed |
| Use Case | General purpose | Critical databases | Big data/analytics | Point-in-time backup | Enterprise backup |
| Cost | Moderate | Premium | Low per GB | Incremental storage | Service + storage |
| Latency | Low | Sub-millisecond | Variable | Restoration time | Recovery time |
Selection Model
0–10 sliders weight storage performance, backup requirements, and cost considerations.
Score_gp3 = 0.26*C_generalPurpose + 0.22*C_costEffective + 0.18*C_balanced + 0.14*C_bootVolumes + 0.10*C_devWorkloads + 0.10*(10 - C_extremePerformance)
Score_io2 = 0.32*C_extremePerformance + 0.26*C_criticalApps + 0.18*C_lowLatency + 0.12*C_highDurability + 0.08*C_multiAttach + 0.04*(10 - C_costSensitive)
Score_st1 = 0.30*C_throughputIntensive + 0.24*C_sequentialAccess + 0.18*C_bigDataAnalytics + 0.14*C_costSensitive + 0.08*C_largFiles + 0.06*(10 - C_randomAccess)
Score_Snapshots = 0.28*C_backupRequirements + 0.24*C_pointInTimeRecovery + 0.18*C_disasterRecovery + 0.14*C_incrementalBackup + 0.10*C_crossRegion + 0.06*C_fastRestore
Score_Backup = 0.30*C_centralizedBackup + 0.24*C_complianceReporting + 0.18*C_crossServiceBackup + 0.14*C_automatedPolicies + 0.08*C_retentionManagement + 0.06*C_auditTrail
EBS gp3 {{vm.scores.gp3|number:2}}
EBS io2 {{vm.scores.io2|number:2}}
EBS st1 {{vm.scores.st1|number:2}}
EBS Snapshots {{vm.scores.snapshots|number:2}}
AWS Backup {{vm.scores.backup|number:2}}
Primary Emphasis: {{vm.recommended.name}} ({{vm.recommended.score|number:2}})
Heuristics
- High C_generalPurpose + C_costEffective → EBS gp3 for most workloads.
- Strong C_extremePerformance + C_criticalApps → EBS io2 for databases.
- High C_throughputIntensive + C_sequentialAccess → EBS st1 for analytics.
- C_backupRequirements + C_pointInTimeRecovery → EBS Snapshots for protection.
- C_centralizedBackup + C_complianceReporting → AWS Backup for governance.
Anti-Patterns
- Using io2 for general purpose workloads (cost inefficient).
- Using st1 for random access patterns (poor performance).
- Ignoring snapshot scheduling for critical data.
- Manual backup processes without AWS Backup automation.
Summary
Choose gp3 for general use, io2 for extreme performance, st1 for throughput, Snapshots for backup, and AWS Backup for centralized protection.