Cloud · Visual Explainer
S3 Storage Classes & Lifecycle
The concept
Data has a temperature. Fresh backups are hot — S3 Standard. As data ages it cools: Standard-IA after 30 days, Glacier for archives, Deep Archive for compliance history. Lifecycle policies automate the migration so cost falls as data ages.
Key distinctions
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Standard → IA | After ~30 days, ~45% cheaper storage with a small retrieval fee — for data you probably won't touch but must have instantly. |
| Glacier | Archive pricing, retrieval in minutes to hours — quarterly archives and compliance data. |
| Deep Archive | The cheapest tier, retrieval up to 12 hours — long-term retention and audit history. |
| Tag-filtered rules | Target only backup objects with tag filters, so the rule physically cannot touch anything else in a shared bucket. |
Why it matters in practice
A lifecycle policy you haven't restore-tested is a data-loss timebomb with a delay timer. The trade you're always making is storage price versus retrieval time.