S3 Standard is the default storage class and is often used by default even for data that is rarely accessed. Keeping large volumes of infrequently accessed data in S3 Standard leads to unnecessary costs. Data such as backups, logs, archives, or historical snapshots are often strong candidates for migration to colder tiers like S3 Glacier or Deep Archive. If access patterns are unknown or variable, S3 Intelligent-Tiering can reduce costs without requiring manual transitions.
S3 is billed based on an hourly per-GB storage rate, plus additional charges for access, updates, security features, monitoring, etc.
There are multiple storage classes, each with a different cost structure.
Move eligible objects to colder storage tiers (e.g., Glacier Flexible Retrieval or Deep Archive) using lifecycle policies. For datasets with uncertain access patterns, enable S3 Intelligent‑Tiering to automatically transition objects across storage classes based on real‑world usage. Always validate business, compliance, and restore‑time requirements before implementing transitions.
