Characteristics
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Instance Store:
- Ephemeral storage: Data stored in Instance Store volumes is tied to the lifecycle of the EC2 instance. If the instance is stopped, terminated, or experiences a failure, the data is lost.
- High I/O performance: Instance Store provides high I/O performance and low latency since the storage is directly attached to the physical host of the EC2 instance.
- Instance-dependent: Instance Store volumes are specific to the instance and cannot be detached or reattached to other instances.
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EBS:
- Persistent storage: Data stored in EBS volumes persists independently of the EC2 instance. It remains even if the instance is stopped or terminated.
- Various volume types: EBS offers different volume types with varying performance characteristics and cost considerations.
- Flexible attachment: EBS volumes can be detached from one instance and attached to another, providing flexibility and easy data migration.
Use case
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Instance Store:
- Temporary data or scratch space: Instance Store is ideal for temporary storage needs, such as caching, temporary files, or processing large datasets that can be recreated if lost.
- High-performance workloads: Applications requiring high IOPS, low latency, and high-performance storage, such as database workloads, real-time analytics, or caching systems, can benefit from Instance Store.
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EBS:
- Data persistence: EBS is suitable for applications that require data persistence, durability, and the ability to survive instance failures.
- General-purpose workloads: EBS volumes, such as General Purpose SSD (gp2/gp3), offer a good balance of price and performance for a wide range of applications, including web servers, development environments, and small-to-medium databases.
- High-performance and predictable workloads: Provisioned IOPS SSD (io1/io2) volumes are ideal for applications requiring consistent and predictable I/O performance, such as large databases, data warehousing, and transactional workloads.
- Cost-effective storage: Throughput Optimized HDD (st1) and Cold HDD (sc1) volumes are suitable for applications that prioritize cost savings over high IOPS, such as big data processing, log processing, and infrequently accessed data storage.
Pricing
When selecting between Instance Store and EBS, consider the requirements of your application. If you require persistent storage or need data to survive instance failures, EBS is the recommended option. However, if your application can tolerate the temporary nature of storage and doesn’t require data persistence, Instance Store can be a cost-effective choice.
I/O performance
When choosing between Instance Store and EBS for I/O performance, consider the specific needs of your application:
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If you require high-performance storage with low latency and high IOPS, and can tolerate the temporary nature of the storage, Instance Store is often the preferred choice.
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If you need persistent storage with different levels of I/O performance and the ability to survive instance failures, EBS volumes, particularly Provisioned IOPS SSD or General Purpose SSD volumes, would be more suitable.
Remember to consider the specific requirements of your workload, expected I/O patterns, and any budgetary constraints when selecting the appropriate storage option
