/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25829979/STK051_TIKTOKBAN_B_CVirginia_D.jpg)
The Life Cycle of an S3 Object, A Simple Tale of Data’s Journey
Have you ever thought about what happens to a file when you put it into Amazon S3? Maybe it’s a photo of your family, some notes from your school days, or even your secret recipe for that special curry. It might feel like the file just disappears into the sky, but trust me, there is a story happening behind the scenes. The Beginning, The Upload Ceremony Every object, either a file or picture, is born the moment you upload it to S3. This is like when a baby is born in the village. You give the baby a name (we call it a key in S3), and you make sure it’s safe and warm in its new home, the bucket this is its first cry into the world. When you upload, you also decide how much attention it will need. Will you keep it close for regular use (Standard Storage), or will it be something you only need once in a while (Infrequent Access)? It’s like deciding whether to carry water with you every day or store it in a big clay pot for later. The Early Days, Metadata and Tags As your file settles into its new home, you might give it some special instructions, metadata. This is like telling the object, “You are a picture” or “You are a text document.” Then there are tags, which are like giving your file a nickname or a purpose, such as “important” or “school project.” These small details help you find the file later when your bucket is full of many things. Growing Up, Versioning and Changes As time goes on, you might change your file, maybe update it or replace it. If your S3 bucket has versioning turned on, it’s like having a diary that keeps every page you write. The old version stays safe, even when you add a new one. This is very helpful if you make a mistake and want to go back. It’s like when you accidentally say the wrong thing to a neighbor but wish you could rewind and say something better. Maturity, Moving to a New Place Not every file is useful forever. Maybe you uploaded some logs from last year or an old recipe you already know by heart. At this stage, S3 can help your file move to a cheaper place to stay. This is done using lifecycle rules, which are like the village elders deciding when it’s time to store tools in the shed instead of keeping them in the house. Your file might move from Standard Storage to something called Infrequent Access, where it costs less to keep but takes a little more effort to fetch. Eventually, it might even go to Glacier, where it’s stored safely for a very low price, like burying precious seeds deep in the ground for the future. Old Age, Glacier and Deep Archive When a file becomes very old and rarely used, it’s moved to Glacier or Deep Archive. Imagine an elder in the community who has retired to a quiet life. They are still wise and important, but you only visit them when you really need to hear their stories. Retrieving a file from Glacier takes more time, just like traveling to the next village to see your grandparents. The End, Goodbye, My Friend Every file has its time to go. If you set up a rule for expiration, your file will eventually be deleted. It’s not a sad thing, it’s like a leaf falling from a tree to make room for new growth. The space it used in the bucket becomes free for new files, new stories, and new memories. Sometimes, you might delete a file yourself, like when clearing out old papers from your desk. But if versioning is enabled, the older versions might still stay, quietly waiting in the background. The Legacy, Memories Left Behind Even when a file is gone, its story can live on. Maybe you kept logs of everything that happened to it, using tools like CloudTrail. These records are like the stories people tell about someone who has passed, reminding us of the file’s purpose and value. Why This Matters to You By understanding how to use versioning, lifecycle rules, and storage options, you can save money and keep your data safe. It’s like learning how to store water, grain, and tools skills that make life easier and more secure. So next time you upload a file to S3, think about the journey it will take. Each file has a life, just like everything else. And like every good story, it deserves to be told with care. Lets connect: Lewis Sawe - LinkedIn
Have you ever thought about what happens to a file when you put it into Amazon S3? Maybe it’s a photo of your family, some notes from your school days, or even your secret recipe for that special curry. It might feel like the file just disappears into the sky, but trust me, there is a story happening behind the scenes.
The Beginning, The Upload Ceremony
Every object, either a file or picture, is born the moment you upload it to S3. This is like when a baby is born in the village. You give the baby a name (we call it a key in S3), and you make sure it’s safe and warm in its new home, the bucket this is its first cry into the world.
When you upload, you also decide how much attention it will need. Will you keep it close for regular use (Standard Storage), or will it be something you only need once in a while (Infrequent Access)? It’s like deciding whether to carry water with you every day or store it in a big clay pot for later.
The Early Days, Metadata and Tags
As your file settles into its new home, you might give it some special instructions, metadata. This is like telling the object, “You are a picture” or “You are a text document.” Then there are tags, which are like giving your file a nickname or a purpose, such as “important” or “school project.” These small details help you find the file later when your bucket is full of many things.
Growing Up, Versioning and Changes
As time goes on, you might change your file, maybe update it or replace it. If your S3 bucket has versioning turned on, it’s like having a diary that keeps every page you write. The old version stays safe, even when you add a new one. This is very helpful if you make a mistake and want to go back. It’s like when you accidentally say the wrong thing to a neighbor but wish you could rewind and say something better.
Maturity, Moving to a New Place
Not every file is useful forever. Maybe you uploaded some logs from last year or an old recipe you already know by heart. At this stage, S3 can help your file move to a cheaper place to stay. This is done using lifecycle rules, which are like the village elders deciding when it’s time to store tools in the shed instead of keeping them in the house.
Your file might move from Standard Storage to something called Infrequent Access, where it costs less to keep but takes a little more effort to fetch. Eventually, it might even go to Glacier, where it’s stored safely for a very low price, like burying precious seeds deep in the ground for the future.
Old Age, Glacier and Deep Archive
When a file becomes very old and rarely used, it’s moved to Glacier or Deep Archive. Imagine an elder in the community who has retired to a quiet life. They are still wise and important, but you only visit them when you really need to hear their stories. Retrieving a file from Glacier takes more time, just like traveling to the next village to see your grandparents.
The End, Goodbye, My Friend
Every file has its time to go. If you set up a rule for expiration, your file will eventually be deleted. It’s not a sad thing, it’s like a leaf falling from a tree to make room for new growth. The space it used in the bucket becomes free for new files, new stories, and new memories.
Sometimes, you might delete a file yourself, like when clearing out old papers from your desk. But if versioning is enabled, the older versions might still stay, quietly waiting in the background.
The Legacy, Memories Left Behind
![20+ Best Log Management Tools & Monitoring Software [2023] - Sematext](https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcSZtil6a_vFa1bR2boJaWd7oxKMIMXUbZB5Qw%26s)
Even when a file is gone, its story can live on. Maybe you kept logs of everything that happened to it, using tools like CloudTrail. These records are like the stories people tell about someone who has passed, reminding us of the file’s purpose and value.
Why This Matters to You
By understanding how to use versioning, lifecycle rules, and storage options, you can save money and keep your data safe. It’s like learning how to store water, grain, and tools skills that make life easier and more secure.
So next time you upload a file to S3, think about the journey it will take. Each file has a life, just like everything else. And like every good story, it deserves to be told with care.
Lets connect: Lewis Sawe - LinkedIn
