EC2 Storage Options

1. Introduction

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) provides various storage options to suit different application needs, including temporary storage and persistent storage. Understanding these options helps optimize performance and cost efficiency.

2. EC2 Storage Types

2.1 Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store)

EBS provides persistent block storage volumes for EC2 instances. It is used for data that requires frequent updates or needs to persist even after instance termination.

2.2 Instance Store

Instance store provides temporary storage that is physically attached to the host machine. It offers high I/O performance but data is lost when the instance is stopped or terminated.

2.3 Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)

S3 is an object storage service that is highly scalable and durable. It is ideal for storing large amounts of unstructured data, such as backups, media files, and big data.

2.4 Amazon FSx

Amazon FSx provides a fully managed, scalable file storage solution for Windows and Lustre file systems. It integrates with EC2 to support applications that require file storage.

3. Step-by-Step Setup

3.1 Creating an EBS Volume

1. Log in to the AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard.
3. Select "Volumes" under the "Elastic Block Store" section.
4. Click on "Create Volume".
5. Specify the volume type, size, and availability zone.
6. Click "Create Volume".

# Example AWS CLI command to create an EBS volume
aws ec2 create-volume --size 20 --volume-type gp2 --availability-zone us-east-1a
            

4. Best Practices

• Choose the right storage type based on your application's requirements.
• Regularly back up your EBS volumes using snapshots.
• Monitor your storage performance and adjust as necessary.
• Consider using EBS Provisioned IOPS for high-performance applications.

5. FAQ