OSS stores all data types including images, audio, video, documents, software packages, CSV, JSON, Parquet files, and backups. Each object has a storage class. The default is Standard. OSS also offers Infrequent Access (IA), Archive, Cold Archive, and Deep Cold Archive.
Selection factors
Consider these factors when selecting a storage class:
Access frequency: how often you read and write data. Ranges from frequent to rare.
Retrieval time: how quickly data becomes accessible after a read request. Ranges from real-time to hours or days.
Availability: the percentage of time the service is accessible. Ranges from 99.00% to 99.995%.
Durability: the likelihood that stored data remains intact over time. Ranges from 99.999999999% (eleven 9s) to 99.9999999999% (twelve 9s).
Storage class comparison
The following table compares storage classes by access frequency, retrieval time, availability, and durability.
Storage class | Access frequency | Retrieval time | Availability | Durability |
Standard zone-redundant storage (ZRS) | Frequently accessed | Real-time access | 99.995% | 99.9999999999% (twelve 9's) |
Standard locally redundant storage (LRS) | Frequently accessed | Real-time access | 99.99% | 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) |
IA ZRS | Infrequently accessed | Real-time access | 99.50% | 99.9999999999% (twelve 9's) |
IA LRS | Infrequently accessed | Real-time access | 99.00% | 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) |
Archive ZRS | Seldom accessed | Real-time access or 1 minute | 99.50% | 99.9999999999% (twelve 9's) |
Archive LRS | Seldom accessed | Real-time access or 1 minute | 99.00% | 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) |
Cold Archive LRS | Rarely accessed | 1 to 12 hours | 99.00% | 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) |
Deep Cold Archive LRS | Rarely accessed | 12 or 48 hours | 99.00% | 99.999999999% (eleven 9's) |
Storage class pricing details are available on the OSS pricing page.