Object vs Block vs File Storage
~8 min read
The three fundamental storage access models that S3, EBS, and EFS each represent.
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Key points
- •Object storage (S3): flat namespace, whole-object HTTP access, massive scale, unstructured data
- •Block storage (EBS): raw blocks, OS-managed file system, low-latency random access, single-instance
- •File storage (EFS/FSx): hierarchical directories over a network protocol, shared concurrent access
- •Each model exists because no single one serves every access pattern well