What is Amazon Glacier?

AWS provides a variety of storage solutions designed to meet different data access needs. Whether you require high-performance storage for frequently accessed data or cost-efficient options for long-term retention, AWS has a solution. Key storage options include Amazon S3 for scalable object storage, Amazon EFS for shared file storage, Amazon EBS for fast block storage, AWS Backup for automated backups, and Amazon Glacier for low-cost archival storage. Additionally, AWS offers data migration services like AWS Snowball and AWS DataSync to help move large datasets efficiently.

Among these, Amazon Glacier stands out as AWS’s ultra-low-cost storage service built specifically for backups and long-term data archiving. It provides highly secure and durable storage, ensuring 99.999999999% durability with encryption to keep data protected. One of its biggest advantages is cost efficiency, with storage costs as low as $1 per petabyte per month. Glacier seamlessly integrates with Amazon S3 using S3 lifecycle policies, allowing businesses to automatically transition rarely accessed data to Glacier, reducing storage costs significantly. While Amazon S3 and Glacier share some similarities, the key difference is that Glacier is optimized for long-term storage and is much cheaper, but retrieval times can be slower. If you need affordable, secure and scalable long-term storage, Amazon Glacier is the perfect choice.

AWS Glacier Terminology

1. Vaults

Vaults are virtual containers that are used to store data. Vaults in AWS Glacier are similar to buckets in S3.

• Each Vault has its specific access policies(Vault lock/access policies). Thus providing you with more control over who has what kind of access to your data.
• Vaults are region-specific.

2. Archives

Archives are the fundamental entity type stored in Vaults. Archives in AWS Glacier are similar to Objects in S3. Virtually you have unlimited storage capacity on AWS Glacier and hence, can store an unlimited number of archives in a vault.

3. Vault Access Policies

In addition to the basic IAM controls AWS Glacier offers Vault access policies that help managers and administrators have more granular control of their data.

• Each vault has its own set of Vault Access Policies.
• If either of Vault Access Policy or IAM control doesn't pass for some user action. The user is not declared unauthorized.

4. Vault Lock Policies

• Vault lock policies are exactly like Vault access policies but once set, they cannot be changed.
• Specific to each bucket.

This helps you with data compliance controls. For example- Your business administrators might want some highly confidential data to be only accessible to the root user of the account, no matter what. Vault lock policy for such a use case can be written for the required vaults.

Features of AWS Glacier

AWS Glacier is an affordable, long-term storage service designed for data that doesn’t need frequent access. It offers high durability, security, and cost efficiency, making it ideal for backups and archives. However, it has slower retrieval times compared to Amazon S3 and requires programmatic access for data transfers. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Reliable and Secure Data Storage

• AWS Glacier provides 99.999999999% durability, meaning your data is protected against failures and stored securely.
• To prevent data loss, Glacier replicates data across multiple AWS Availability Zones.

2. Different Retrieval Speeds to Suit Your Needs

Since Glacier is designed for archiving, retrieving data isn’t instant. You can choose from:

• Expedited Retrieval (1-5 minutes) – For urgent access (higher cost).
• Standard Retrieval (3-5 hours) – The most commonly used option (moderate cost).
• Bulk Retrieval (5-12 hours) – Best for large datasets at the lowest cost.

3. How You Access Data

Unlike S3, the Glacier console only allows vault creation—you need to use code for uploads and retrievals. You can access data using:

• AWS Glacier API
• AWS SDKs (Python, Java, etc.)
• S3 Lifecycle Policies (automates moving old S3 data to Glacier)

4. Cost Varies by Region

• AWS Glacier is one of the cheapest AWS storage services, but pricing differs depending on the region.
• Storing large amounts of data is affordable, but retrieval costs increase based on the speed you choose.

5. Strong Security & Access Control

• All data is encrypted by default using AES-256 encryption for added security.
• You can set IAM permissions, Vault Access Policies, and Vault Lock Policies to control who can access specific data.

6. Unlimited Storage Capacity

• There are no storage limits, making Glacier a great choice for organizations that need to archive large datasets.

Main Applications for AWS Glacier

AWS Glacier is a low-cost storage service designed for data that you don’t need often but must keep for a long time. It’s perfect for backups, archives and compliance storage, where cost and security matter more than speed.

Here’s how people and businesses use AWS Glacier:

1. Storing Old Data & Meeting Compliance Rules

• Backups & Archives: Great for keeping old documents, system backups, and historical data.
• Regulatory Compliance: Many industries, like healthcare, finance, and government, must store records for years—Glacier makes that affordable and secure.

2. Disaster Recovery & Cybersecurity

• Backup for Emergencies: If your main storage fails, Glacier keeps a safe copy of your data.
• Protection Against Ransomware: Data in Glacier is immutable, meaning hackers can’t delete or change it.

3. Storing Large Media Files

• Movie & Image Archives: Film studios, news agencies, and photographers use Glacier to store raw footage and photos that they don’t need daily.
• Long-Term Digital Storage: Old TV shows, movies, and company videos can sit safely in Glacier until needed.

4. Research & Big Data Storage

• Scientific & Medical Data: Used in biotech and hospitals for storing genome sequencing and research data.
• Satellite & Climate Data: Space agencies and environmental organizations store weather, ocean, and geological data for future studies.

5. Business & Legal Records

• Company Documents – Stores contracts, financial statements, and employee records securely.
• Bank & Investment Data – Financial companies keep transaction logs and audit reports for regulatory reasons.

6. Security & Investigation Storage

• Log & Audit Storage: Stores security logs for compliance and forensic investigations.
• Digital Evidence & Legal Cases: Law enforcement agencies securely store evidence for long-term cases.

How Does Amazon Glacier Store Data?

Amazon Glacier organizes data using two storage levels: Archives and Vaults.

1. Archives (The Individual Files)

• An Archive is a single piece of data stored in Glacier—this could be a file, backup, document, video or even a zip folder.
• Each archive gets a unique ID when uploaded.
• You can store as many archives as you need, with no limits on the number of files.

2. Vaults (The Storage Containers)

• A Vault is like a folder that holds multiple archives.
• Helps organize and manage stored files efficiently.
• You can set permissions, security policies, and notifications at the vault level.
• Each AWS account can have up to 1,000 vaults per region.

Data Transfer in Glacier

1. Data Upload

Data can be uploaded to AWS Glacier by creating a vault from the Glacier console and using one of the following methods:

• Write code that uses AWS Glacier SDK to upload data.
• Write code that uses AWS Glacier API to upload data.
• S3 Lifecycle policies: S3 lifecycle policies can be set to upload S3 objects to AWS Glacier after some time. This can be used to backup old and infrequently access data stored in S3.

2. Data Transfer Between Regions

AWS Glacier is a region-specific service. Data in one region can be transferred to another from the AWS console. This cost of suck a data transfer is $0.02.

3. Data Retrieval

AWS Glacier is a cost-effective solution for storing backups and archived data, but it doesn’t provide instant access like regular cloud storage. To retrieve data, you need to use code, either through the AWS Glacier SDK or the Glacier API. There are three ways to get your data back, depending on how quickly you need it and how much you’re willing to spend.

Expedited retrieval

If you need your data urgently, Expedited retrieval is the fastest option. It lets you access up to 250MB within 1-5 minutes, but it comes at a higher cost—$0.03 per GB and $0.01 per request.

Standard retrieval

For general use, Standard retrieval is a more flexible choice, allowing access to both full and partial archives of any size. It takes around 3-5 hours and costs $0.01 per GB with a fee of $0.05 per 1,000 requests.

Bulk retrieval

If you’re dealing with a large volume of data and time isn't a major concern, Bulk retrieval is the most economical option. It’s designed for massive data recovery, even in petabytes, with data becoming available within 5-12 hours. The cost is significantly lower at $0.0025 per GB and $0.025 per 1,000 requests.

Benefits of Amazon Glacier

1. Lower Cost

Glacier is intended to be Amazon's most affordable storage class. When compared to other Amazon storage service, this allows an organization to store large amounts of data at a lower cost.

2. Upholds archive database

It is not mandatory for an organization to keep up its own archival database. Administrative duties including hardware and capacity planning are handled by AWS.

3. Durability

Glacier can restore data more easily in the event that it is lost in one of the three actual AWS Availability Zones where it is distributed at any one time.

4. Scalability

Businesses are able to adjust the amount of data they store as needed. Businesses have a choice between bulk, standard, and expedited retrievals.

Amazon Glacier vs Amazon S3

The following table shows the comparison between Amazon Glacier and Amazon S3:

Conclusion

AWS Glacier is a cost-effective, secure, and scalable storage solution for long-term data retention. It offers ultra-low storage costs, 99.999999999% durability, AES-256 encryption, and flexible retrieval options, making it ideal for backups, archives, and compliance storage.

While cheaper than Amazon S3, Glacier has slower retrieval times, ranging from minutes to hours, depending on the chosen retrieval method. It is best suited for regulatory compliance, disaster recovery, media preservation, and research data storage.

Businesses can automate data transfers using S3 Lifecycle Policies, but Glacier requires programmatic access for uploads and retrievals. If affordability and security matter more than instant access, AWS Glacier is the best choice for long-term storage.