AWS -Instance Storage and Elastic Block Storge

Instance Storage:

AWS Instance Store, also known as ephemeral storage, is a type of temporary, block-level storage that is directly attached to an Amazon EC2 instance. Unlike AWS EBS, which provides persistent storage, instance store volumes are tied to the lifecycle of the EC2 instance and do not persist data once the instance is stopped or terminated.

Key features of AWS Instance Store include:

1. High-performance storage: Instance store volumes offer high I/O performance and low-latency access, as they are physically attached to the host server of the EC2 instance. This makes them suitable for workloads that require fast and temporary storage, such as caching, temporary files, and scratch space for data processing.
2. Local to the instance: Instance store volumes are physically connected to the underlying EC2 instance, providing low-latency access. They are not network-attached storage like EBS or EFS. This local connectivity allows for faster data transfer between the instance and the storage volume.
3. Instance-specific: Each EC2 instance has its own instance store volume(s), and they cannot be shared between instances. When you launch an EC2 instance, the instance store volume is automatically provisioned and attached to the instance.
4. Data durability and persistence: It’s important to note that instance store volumes are not durable or persistent. The data stored on instance store volumes is lost when the instance is stopped, terminated, or if a hardware failure occurs. Therefore, it is crucial to backup or replicate any important data stored on instance store volumes.
5. Limited capacity: The capacity of instance store volumes varies based on the instance type. Some instance types provide small amounts of instance store storage (e.g., a few gigabytes), while others offer larger capacities (e.g., hundreds of gigabytes). It’s important to choose an instance type that provides sufficient storage for your specific workload requirements.
6. No additional cost: Unlike EBS volumes, there is no separate cost associated with using instance store volumes. The cost is already included in the pricing of the EC2 instance itself. However, it’s worth noting that instance store volumes are not available for all instance types and regions. You should consult the AWS documentation to ensure your desired instance type supports instance store volumes.

In summary, AWS Instance Store provides high-performance, temporary block-level storage directly attached to EC2 instances. It is ideal for workloads that require fast and temporary storage but not for data that needs to be persisted or retained beyond the lifecycle of the instance.

Elastic Block Storge:

AWS EBS (Elastic Block Store) is a block-level storage service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is designed to provide persistent, durable, and low-latency storage volumes that can be attached to Amazon EC2 instances.

EBS VOLUME

Key features of AWS EBS include:

1. Block-level storage: EBS operates at the block level, which means it provides storage volumes that can be formatted and used as individual hard drives by EC2 instances. This allows for more direct and low-level access to storage.
2. Persistent storage: EBS volumes are persistent, meaning that the data stored on them is retained even after an EC2 instance is stopped or terminated. This makes it suitable for applications that require long-term storage, such as databases.
3. Data replication: EBS volumes can be replicated within the same availability zone (AZ) or across different AZs, providing options for data redundancy and high availability. You can create point-in-time snapshots of EBS volumes to back up data and restore it later if needed.
4. Performance options: AWS EBS provides different volume types with varying performance characteristics to meet different workload requirements. These include General Purpose (SSD), Provisioned IOPS (SSD), Cold HDD, Throughput Optimized HDD, and Magnetic volumes. Each type has its own performance and cost characteristics.
5. Easy management: EBS volumes can be easily created, attached, and detached from EC2 instances using the AWS Management Console, command-line tools, or APIs. You can also resize EBS volumes to increase or decrease their storage capacity without interrupting the attached EC2 instance.
6. Integration with other AWS services: EBS integrates seamlessly with other AWS services. For example, you can use EBS volumes as storage for Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) databases or as data volumes for Amazon EC2 instances running in an Auto Scaling group

Overall, AWS EBS provides reliable and scalable block-level storage for EC2 instances, allowing you to store and access data persistently. It offers flexibility in terms of performance, replication, and management options, making it a versatile storage solution for various applications and workloads in the AWS cloud environment.