AWS S3
AWS S3 is Amazon's scalable object storage service for storing and retrieving any amount of data from anywhere on the web. Developers use it for backups, content distribution, data lakes, and as the foundation for web-scale applications.
Overview
| Category | Storage |
| Ecosystem | aws |
| Compliance | SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, ISO27001 |
| Self-Hostable | No |
| On-Prem | No |
| Best For | startup, growth, enterprise |
| Last Verified | 2026-02-13 |
Pricing
| Model | usage |
| Free Tier | up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits- Free plan available for 6 months
- Credits must be used within 12 months of account creation.
|
| Unit Price | $0.04 / GB |
| Source | pricing page |
Plans
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Includes |
|---|
| Pay as you go | $0 | $0 | Only pay for the resources you use |
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths:- reliability
- performance
- cost
Weaknesses:- pricing complexity with multiple tiers and egress costs
- steep learning curve for IAM and bucket policies
- no built-in versioning without explicit setup
When to Use
Best when:- high-volume object storage
- global content distribution
- data archival
- media hosting
- static website hosting
- integration with AWS ecosystem
Avoid if:- need sub-millisecond latency for individual objects
- budget is extremely constrained and prefer simpler pricing
- require on-premises deployment