Real-Life Storage Scenarios

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will:

1. Understand how AWS storage services like S3 and EBS are applied in real-world scenarios.
2. Learn to choose the right storage solution for different workloads and data access patterns.
3. Explore practical examples of S3, EBS, and complementary services in action.

---

Introduction: AWS Storage in Action

Every organization, from startups to enterprises, has unique storage requirements. Some need scalable, cost-effective storage for millions of files, while others require high-performance, durable storage for databases. AWS offers a wide array of storage solutions tailored to meet these diverse needs.

In this chapter, we’ll explore real-life scenarios to understand how S3, EBS, and related services are used in practical applications.

---

Scenario 1: Hosting a Static Website

Problem: You want to host a company portfolio site with static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. The site needs to be highly available, globally accessible, and cost-efficient.

Solution: Use Amazon S3 with CloudFront for content delivery.

1. Create an S3 Bucket:
   • Store all static website files in an S3 bucket.
2. Enable Static Website Hosting:
   • Configure the bucket to serve content over HTTP.
3. Integrate CloudFront:
   • Use Amazon CloudFront (CDN) to cache files globally for faster delivery.

Benefits:

• No servers to manage.
• Scalable to handle millions of visitors.
• Low cost, paying only for storage and data transfer.

---

Scenario 2: Backing Up a Relational Database

Problem: You’re running a MySQL database on an EC2 instance and need to ensure data durability in case of hardware failure.

Solution: Use Amazon EBS Snapshots for point-in-time backups.

1. Attach EBS Volumes to EC2:
   • Store your database files on an EBS volume.
2. Schedule Snapshots:
   • Use Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager to automate daily snapshots of the volume.
3. Restore Data:
   • In case of failure, create a new EBS volume from a snapshot and attach it to a new EC2 instance.

Benefits:

• Durable, incremental backups stored in S3.
• Easy recovery from disaster scenarios.

---

Scenario 3: Archiving Old Data

Problem: You need to archive old financial records for regulatory compliance but rarely access them.

Solution: Use S3 Glacier for long-term archival.

1. Upload Data to S3:
   • Store records in an S3 bucket.
2. Transition to Glacier:
   • Use lifecycle policies to move infrequently accessed data to S3 Glacier after 30 days.
3. Access Archives:
   • Retrieve records when needed with configurable retrieval times (minutes to hours).

Benefits:

• Ultra-low-cost storage.
• Meets compliance requirements for long-term data retention.

---

Scenario 4: Running a High-Performance Database

Problem: You’re running a high-traffic e-commerce platform that requires a fast, reliable database backend.

Solution: Use Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) EBS Volumes.

1. Choose the Right Volume:
   • Use io2 EBS volumes for consistent, high IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second).
2. Attach Volumes to EC2:
   • Store database files on the EBS volume for durability and performance.
3. Scale as Needed:
   • Adjust IOPS or volume size based on workload demands.

Benefits:

• Low-latency, high-throughput storage for critical applications.
• High durability and fault tolerance for consistent performance.

---

Scenario 5: Storing and Analyzing Big Data

Problem: Your company collects terabytes of sensor data daily for analytics. You need a cost-effective way to store and process this data.

Solution: Use S3 for Storage and Amazon Athena for analytics.

1. Store Data in S3:
   • Use S3 buckets to store raw sensor data in JSON or CSV format.
2. Query with Athena:
   • Use Amazon Athena to run SQL queries directly on the S3 data without loading it into a database.
3. Optimize with S3 Intelligent-Tiering:
   • Reduce costs by automatically moving inactive data to lower-cost storage tiers.

Benefits:

• Scalability for massive datasets.
• No need to maintain a traditional data warehouse.
• Cost-effective analytics with pay-per-query pricing.

---

Scenario 6: Streaming Video Storage

Problem: A video streaming platform needs to store large media files and deliver them to users worldwide.

Solution: Use S3 Standard with CloudFront.

1. Store Videos in S3:
   • Upload high-resolution video files to S3 buckets.
2. Distribute Content with CloudFront:
   • Set up a CloudFront distribution to cache video files at edge locations.
3. Enable Cross-Region Replication:
   • Replicate video files to multiple regions for high availability.

Benefits:

• Seamless scalability to handle spikes in traffic.
• High availability and low latency for global users.
• Secure video delivery with signed URLs and access policies.

---

Scenario 7: Disaster Recovery

Problem: Your company requires a disaster recovery solution to ensure business continuity.

Solution: Use S3 Replication and EBS Snapshots.

1. Set Up Cross-Region S3 Replication:
   • Automatically replicate critical files to a secondary AWS Region.
2. Create EBS Snapshots:
   • Regularly back up EC2 volumes to S3 for recovery in another region.
3. Restore Resources:
   • In case of a regional outage, spin up resources in the secondary region using replicated data.

Benefits:

• High durability and availability for critical data.
• Faster recovery times in disaster scenarios.

---

Reflection: Choosing the Right Solution

AWS storage solutions offer flexibility to meet diverse requirements. Whether it’s scalable object storage with S3, high-performance block storage with EBS, or archival options like Glacier, AWS empowers you to optimize costs and performance for your specific needs.

---

What’s Next?

In the next module, we’ll dive into Networking and Security, starting with Amazon VPC (Virtual Private Cloud). You’ll learn how to isolate and secure your AWS resources for reliable, secure deployments.

Your storage journey is complete—let’s move into networking!