What is Amazon S3? An expert review of Amazon's cloud storage service

What is Amazon S3?

Amazon S3 It is one of the most basic and widely used AWS services for storing files in the form of Cloud Storage It is used.
This service allows you to export your data in the form of Object Save and access them anytime, anywhere.

Simply put, S3 is like a cloud drive but with advanced features like:

• Unlimited scalability

• High security

• Global access

• High speed data transfer

🔗 For more technical information, you can refer to the official AWS documentation:
Amazon S3 Documentation – AWS

Main uses of Amazon S3

Amazon S3 is used in a wide range of scenarios, from small projects to multinational organizations:

1. Hosting files and media

Many websites and applications store their image, video, and document files on S3 so that they are available to users without putting pressure on the main server.

2. Data backup and archiving

S3 is a great option for Backup and Disaster Recovery You can store backup copies of your data with different retention policies (Lifecycle Policy).

3. Save logs and analytical data

Services like Amazon CloudFront or AWS Lambda store their logs and data in S3 for later use for analysis (e.g. with Amazon Athena or AWS Glue).

4. Static website hosting

One of the attractive features of S3 is the ability to Hosting static websites (No backend). Just upload your HTML, CSS, and JS files and your site will be served directly from S3.

S3 customers and main users

Amazon S3 is used not only by small businesses but also by tech giants. Some of its notable users include:

• Netflix: To store and play video content on a global scale.

• Airbnb: To store user images and files related to lists.

• NASA: For archiving scientific data and satellite images.

• Spotify: To store metadata and album covers.

This variety of applications demonstrates the flexibility and power of S3 in the real world.

How to work with Amazon S3

Service Amazon S3 From architecture Object Storage uses; that is, the data is in the form of Object They are stored, not as files or blocks (like File System or Block Storage). Each object consists of three parts:

1. Data: The main content of your file

2. Metadata: Descriptive information about the file (e.g. MIME type, upload time, permissions, and tags)

3. Key (unique key): The specific address or path of that object in the bucket.

The general storage structure is as follows:

Bucket > Folder(s) > Object(s)

Any Bucket It is similar to a storage virtual space that is created in different AWS regions.

1. Create a Bucket

In the first step, you need to create a bucket. Each bucket:

• Must be a name Unique on a global scale Have (Global Namespace)

• To one Region Specific (e.g. us-east-1 Or eu-west-3) is connected

• Can Security settings, encryption, logging, and versioning Have a separate

📘 Documentation related to bucket creation:
👉 Creating, Configuring, and Managing Buckets – AWS Docs

2. Upload and manage objects

Each file uploaded to the bucket is treated as a Object It is recognized and identified by a Key.

There are different ways to upload and manage:

• AWS Management Console: Web-based graphical interface

• AWS CLI: Command line tools for automated and fast management

• AWS SDKs: Collection of libraries for different languages (Python, JavaScript, PHP, Java, etc.)

For example, in the CLI to upload a file:

aws s3 cp myfile.jpg s3://mybucket/images/

To download:

aws s3 cp s3://mybucket/images/myfile.jpg .

3. Access and permissions (Access Control)

Access control in S3 is very flexible and can be configured at several levels:

1. Bucket Policy: Bucket-level policies to define access for users or services

2. Access Control List (ACL): Direct permissions on a file or bucket

3. IAM Roles & Permissions: Control through AWS IAM service for users and applications

4. Pre-signed URLs: Temporary links for secure and time-sensitive access to files

📗 Managing Access Permissions - AWS Docs

4. Data security and encryption

Amazon S3 supports several security methods to protect data:

• Server-Side Encryption (SSE): Automatic encryption of files at rest (with AWS key or customer-customized key)

• Client-Side Encryption: Encrypt data before sending it to S3

• Bucket Encryption Policy: Automatically apply encryption to all new files

• Integration with AWS KMS: Manage encryption keys with Key Management Service

Example of enabling server-side encryption with CLI:

aws s3api put-bucket-encryption --bucket mybucket \ --server-side-encryption-configuration '{"Rules":[{"ApplyServerSideEncryptionByDefault":{"SSEAlgorithm":"AES256"}}]}''

📘 S3 Encryption Overview – AWS Docs

5. Versioning and data maintenance

By activating Versioning In S3, you can maintain a history of previous versions of each file.
This feature is vital to prevent data from being accidentally deleted or overwritten.

To activate:

aws s3api put-bucket-versioning --bucket mybucket --versioning-configuration Status=Enabled

You can also use Lifecycle Policies Determine when older versions are deleted or moved to Glacier (to save money).

📘 S3 Versioning & Lifecycle Docs

6. Cost management and storage levels

S3 from several Storage Class Supports, each designed for a specific need:

📗 S3 Storage Classes Explained

7. Monitoring and logs

To monitor performance and access, you can use the following services:

• AWS CloudWatch Metrics: To check the status of buckets and resource usage

• Server Access Logging: Log all requests and operations on S3

• CloudTrail Integration: Recording user and API management activities

📘 Monitoring S3 with CloudWatch and CloudTrail

8. Integration with other AWS services

S3 is the core storage in the AWS ecosystem and integrates directly with many other services, such as:

• Amazon CloudFront For content distribution

• AWS Lambda For automatic processing of new files (Serverless Processing)

• Amazon Athena To directly query S3 data with SQL

• Amazon EC2 For direct connection and data exchange

📘 S3 Integration with AWS Services

Who is Amazon S3 suitable for?

1. Developers and software teams

Web and mobile developers are widely using Amazon S3 to store files. Users, images, videos, backup files, and app data They use.
With the help of various AWS SDKs (for Python, Node.js, PHP, Go, Java, etc.), integrating S3 into projects is very simple.
This group typically uses S3 for:

• Save user uploaded content

• Maintaining logs and temporary data

• Hosting static websites

• Backing up databases

They use.

2. Medium and large companies and organizations

For organizations, S3 is a reliable solution for Scalable storage and data archiving Companies can store terabytes of data in S3 and access it when needed without worrying about capacity or maintenance costs.
Common enterprise applications include:

• Storing system backup data

• Maintaining legal or accounting files

• Big Data storage and processing (in combination with Amazon Athena or Redshift)

• Integration with internal systems via API

It is.

3. Media & Streaming Content Producers

Media companies like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu They use S3 to host their video content.
The main advantage for this group is high speed and Seamless integration with CloudFront service which enables rapid delivery of video content to users around the world.
For similar businesses in Iran, using S3 to store large files such as videos, podcasts, images, and design projects is very efficient.

4. Data & AI Teams

Data teams use S3 as a Data Lake (data lake).
S3 with Amazon analytics services such as AWS Glue, Amazon Athena, Redshift and SageMaker It is compatible. This feature allows you to store raw data in S3 and then process, clean, and model it with AWS analytics tools.

5. Students, researchers, and scientific laboratories

People working in research fields or data projects use Amazon S3 for storage. Large Datasets They use.
Especially in projects Machine Learning, Scientific Simulation, and Image ProcessingS3 provides a secure and stable environment for storing data.

6. Startups and small businesses

One of the big advantages of S3 is Low cost and pay-as-you-go model It is.
Startups can store their data on Amazon's cloud infrastructure without having to purchase physical servers and easily increase capacity as they grow.

For example:

• Online stores for storing product images

• Online educational platforms for storing video lessons

• Web applications for storing user files

They use Amazon S3.

7. International companies with global users

Organizations with global audiences (such as SaaS or cloud platforms) can use Amazon S3 + CloudFrontDistribute your data to different parts of the world.
This reduces latency and increases the speed at which users access data.

8. System Administrators and DevOps Engineers

Infrastructure and DevOps managers typically use S3 to:

• Save backup copies of servers and virtual machines (Snapshots)

• Save Settings and Deployment Files

• Maintaining system logs and monitoring tools

Combining S3 with services like AWS Backup or CloudWatch creates a fully professional and automated environment for data management.

Key Benefits and Features of Amazon S3

Conclusion

Amazon S3 It is one of the most reliable and powerful cloud storage solutions that can be used for any type of application – from a simple website to complex enterprise infrastructure.
If you are looking for a secure, fast, and scalable platform for data management, Amazon S3 is the best option for you.

🔗 To learn more about other Amazon (AWS) services, see the following article:
👉 What is Amazon Web Services API?