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 of each storage class, see Storage fees.

Standard

Standard storage provides highly reliable, highly available, and high-performance object storage services that can handle frequent data access. Standard storage is suitable for images that are used for social networking and sharing applications, and data for audio and video applications, large websites, and big data analysis. Standard storage supports the following data redundancy mechanisms:
  • Standard locally redundant storage (LRS)

    Standard LRS uses the single-zone mechanism to distribute user data on multiple devices of different facilities in one zone. This ensures data durability and availability even if hardware failures occur.

    Important Standard LRS data is stored in a specific zone. If the zone becomes unavailable, you cannot access the data. If your business requires higher availability, we recommend that you use Standard zone-redundant storage (ZRS).
  • Standard ZRS

    Standard ZRS uses the multi-zone mechanism to distribute user data across three zones within the same region. If one zone becomes unavailable, the data that is stored in the other two zones is still accessible.

IA

IA storage provides highly durable storage services at lower prices compared with Standard storage. IA objects have a minimum storage period of 30 days and a minimum billable size of 64 KB. IA storage is suitable for data that is infrequently accessed, such as once or twice a month. You can access IA objects in real time. You are charged data retrieval fees when you access IA objects. IA storage supports the following data redundancy mechanisms:
  • IA LRS

    IA LRS uses the single-zone mechanism to distribute user data on multiple devices of different facilities in one zone. This ensures data durability and availability even if hardware failures occur.

    Important IA LRS data is stored in a specific zone. If the zone becomes unavailable, you cannot access the data. If your business requires higher availability, we recommend that you use IA ZRS.
  • IA ZRS

    IA ZRS uses the multi-zone mechanism to distribute user data across three zones within the same region. If one zone becomes unavailable, the data that is stored in the other two zones is still accessible.

Archive

Archive storage provides highly durable storage services at lower prices compared with Standard storage and IA storage. Archive objects have a minimum storage period of 60 days and a minimum billable size of 64 KB. You must restore an Archive object before you can access it. The amount of time that is required to restore an Archive object is approximately one minute. You are charged data retrieval fees. Archive storage is suitable for data that must be stored for a long period of time, such as archival data, medical images, scientific materials, and video footage.

Cold Archive

Cold Archive storage provides highly durable storage services at lower prices compared with Standard storage, IA storage, and Archive storage. Cold Archive objects 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 amount of time that is required to restore a Cold Archive object varies based on the object size and the restoration mode. You are charged data retrieval fees when you restore Cold Archive objects. Cold Archive storage is suitable for cold data that must be stored for an ultra-long period of time, including 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, media resources that are retained in the film and television industries, and archived videos from the online education industry.

Note

Cold Archive storage is supported in the following regions: China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Chengdu), China (Hong Kong), US (Silicon Valley), US (Virginia), Japan (Tokyo), Singapore, Australia (Sydney), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), India (Mumbai), Germany (Frankfurt), UK (London), and UAE (Dubai).

Comparison of storage classes

Item Standard LRS Standard ZRS IA LRS IA ZRS Archive Cold Archive
Data durability 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 N/A N/A 64 KB 64 KB 64 KB 64 KB
Minimum storage period N/A N/A 30 days 30 days 60 days 180 days
Data retrieval fees N/A N/A Based on the size of the retrieved data. Unit: GB. Based on the size of the retrieved data. Unit: GB. Based on the size of the restored data. Unit: GB. Based on the size of the restored data and the data retrieval priority 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. The amount of time that is required to restore an Archive object is approximately one minute. Supported after data is restored. The amount of time that is required to restore a Cold Archive object is determined based on the restoration priority of the object:
  • Expedited: The object is restored within one hour.
  • Standard: The object is restored within two to five hours.
  • Bulk: The object is restored within five to twelve hours.
Image processing Supported Supported Supported Supported Supported after data is restored. Supported after data is restored.
Scenarios Suitable for images that are used for social networking and sharing applications, and data for audio and video applications, large websites, and big data analysis. 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 analysis. Standard ZRS is suitable for 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 is suitable for scenarios where higher durability and availability are required. Examples: enterprise business data and recent medical records. Suitable for storing data for a long period of time. Examples: archival data, medical images, scientific materials, and video footage. Suitable for storing extremely cold data 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, media resources that are retained 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.