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:
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Access frequency: how often you read and write data. Ranges from frequent to rare.
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Retrieval time: how quickly data becomes accessible after a read request. Ranges from real-time to hours or days.
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Availability: the percentage of time the service is accessible. Ranges from 99.00% to 99.995%.
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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) |
Typical business scenario selection examples
The following examples map common business scenarios to recommended storage classes, so that you can select a storage class quickly for your workload:
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Website images and static assets: Images, CSS files, and JavaScript files are accessed frequently and require real-time access. Select Standard zone-redundant storage (ZRS) or Standard locally redundant storage (LRS), and use CDN for edge caching and accelerated delivery.
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Video on demand origin storage: Video files that serve as the origin for on-demand streaming require high availability and real-time access. Select Standard zone-redundant storage (ZRS) or Standard locally redundant storage (LRS), and use CDN to distribute the content to edge nodes worldwide.
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Log and operational data archiving: Application logs, audit records, and operational data are seldom accessed and tolerate retrieval that takes hours. Select Archive ZRS or Archive LRS if retrieval within 1 minute is required. For long-term retention, select Cold Archive LRS if retrieval within 1 to 12 hours is acceptable, or Deep Cold Archive LRS for compliance archiving in which cost matters most and retrieval takes 12 or 48 hours.
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Backup and disaster recovery copies: Database backups, system snapshots, and disaster recovery replicas are infrequently accessed, but require real-time or minute-level retrieval during restoration. Select IA ZRS or IA LRS for near-line backups that require real-time access, or Archive ZRS or Archive LRS for long-term backup retention at lower storage costs.
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AI training datasets: Large-scale training datasets are read sequentially at high frequency during active training and are rarely accessed after training is complete. Select Standard zone-redundant storage (ZRS) or Standard locally redundant storage (LRS) during active training, convert the data to IA ZRS or IA LRS after training is complete, and convert the data to Archive ZRS or Archive LRS for long-term dataset retention.
Storage class pricing details are available on the OSS pricing page.