Object Storage Service (OSS) provides the following storage classes to cover a variety of data storage scenarios from hot data storage to cold data storage: Standard, Infrequent Access (IA), Archive, and Cold Archive.

Note For more information about the pricing of each storage class, see Object Storage Service Pricing. For more information about the billing method for each storage class, see Storage fees.

Standard

OSS provides highly reliable, highly available, and high-performance storage services for Standard objects. Frequent data access is supported. Standard storage is suitable for storing images for social networking and sharing applications and data for audio and video applications, large websites, and big data analytics. Standard storage supports the following data redundancy storage mechanisms:
  • Standard locally redundant storage (LRS)

    If you use Standard LRS, OSS stores the copies of each object on multiple devices of different facilities in the same zone. This way, OSS ensures data durability and availability even if hardware failures occur.

  • Standard zone-redundant storage (ZRS)

    Standard ZRS uses the multi-zone mechanism to distribute user data across three zones within the same region. Even if one zone becomes unavailable, your data will still be accessible.

IA

OSS provides high-durability storage services for IA objects at prices lower than Standard. Objects of the IA storage class have a minimum storage period of 30 days and a minimum billable size of 64 KB. You can access objects of the IA storage class in a real-time manner, and you are charged data retrieval fees. IA storage applies to scenarios where stored data is infrequently accessed, such as once or twice a month. IA storage supports the following data redundancy storage mechanisms:
  • IA LRS

    If you use IA LRS, OSS stores the copies of each object on multiple devices of different facilities in the same zone. This way, OSS ensures data durability and availability even if hardware failures occur.

  • IA ZRS

    IA ZRS uses the multi-zone mechanism to distribute user data across three zones within the same region. Even if one zone becomes unavailable, your data will still be accessible.

Archive

OSS provides high-durability storage services for Archive objects at prices lower than Standard and IA. Objects of the Archive storage class have a minimum storage period of 60 days and a minimum billable size of 64 KB. You must restore an object of the Archive storage class before you can access it. The restoration takes about a minute, and you are charged the data retrieval fees. Archive storage is suitable for data that needs to be stored for a long period, such as archival data, medical images, scientific materials, and video footage.

Cold Archive

OSS provides high-durability storage services for Cold Archive objects at prices lower than Standard, IA, and Archive. Objects of the Cold Archive storage class have a minimum storage period of 180 days and a minimum billable size of 64 KB. You must restore an object of the Cold Archive storage class before you can access it. The time required to restore a Cold Archive object depends on the object size and the restore mode. You are charged for the data retrieval fees when you restore a Cold Archive object. Cold Archive storage is suitable for storing extremely cold data over an ultra-long period of time. Such data includes data that must be retained for an extended period of time due to compliance requirements, raw data that is accumulated over an extended period of time in the big data and AI fields, retained media resources in the film and television industries, and archived videos from the online education industry.

Note Cold Archive is available in the following regions: China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Shenzhen), China (Chengdu), China (Ulanqab), China (Hong Kong), Australia (Sydney), Singapore, US (Silicon Valley), Germany (Frankfurt), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), India (Mumbai), and UAE (Dubai).Contact technical support to apply for use.

Comparison of storage classes

Index Standard LRS Standard ZRS IA LRS IA ZRS Archive Cold Archive
Data durability (designed for) 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) 99.9999999999% (twelve 9's) 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) 99.9999999999% (twelve 9's) 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) 99.999999999% (eleven 9's)
Service availability 99.99% 99.995% 99.00% 99.50% 99.00% (restored data) 99.00% (restored data)
Minimum billable size None None 64 KB 64 KB 64 KB 64 KB
Minimum storage period None None 30 days 30 days 60 days 180 days
Data retrieval fees None None Based on the size of retrieved data. Unit: GB. Based on the size of retrieved data. Unit: GB. Based on the size of restored data. Unit: GB. Based on the size of restored data and the data retrieval capability that is selected. Unit: GB.
Data access Real-time access and low latency within milliseconds. Real-time access and low latency within milliseconds. Real-time access and low latency within milliseconds. Real-time access and low latency within milliseconds. Supported after data is restored. It takes a minute to restore data. You must restore a Cold Archive object before you can read it. The time required to restore a Cold Archive object to the readable state is determined based on the restoration priority of the object:
  • Expedited: The object is restored within 1 hour.
  • Standard: The object is restored within 2 to 5 hours.
  • Bulk: The object is restored within 5 to 12 hours.
Image Processing (IMG) Supported Supported Supported Supported Supported after data is restored. Supported after data is restored.
Scenario Suitable for storing images for social networking and sharing applications and data for audio and video applications, large websites, and big data analytics. Examples: program download and mobile applications. Suitable for storing images for social networking and sharing applications and data for audio and video applications, large websites, and big data analytics. Standard ZRS applies to scenarios where higher durability and availability are required. Examples: important documents of enterprises and sensitive information. Suitable for storing data that is infrequently accessed, such as once or twice each month. Examples: hot backup data and surveillance video data. Suitable for storing data that is infrequently accessed, such as once or twice each month. IA ZRS applies to scenarios where higher durability and availability are required. Examples: enterprise business data and recent medical records. Suitable for storing data that you want to store for a long period of time. Examples: archival data, medical images, scientific materials, and video footage. Suitable for storing extremely cold data that you want to store for an ultra-long period of time. Examples: data that must be retained for an extended period of time due to compliance requirements, raw data that is accumulated over an extended period of time in the big data and AI fields, retained media resources in the film and television industries, and archived videos from the online education industry.
Note OSS charges data retrieval fees based on the amount of data read from the underlying distributed storage system. Data transmitted over the Internet is billed as outbound traffic.