Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023

24/10/2023 14:08

HOME TAGS PROJECTS ABOUT LICENSE

Choosing the Right AWS

Storage Service: A
Comprehensive Guide to
S3, S3N, and S3A
#cloud

S3 S3N

S3A
A mazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a popular
cloud-based storage service offered by Amazon
Web Services (AWS) that allows businesses to store,
retrieve, and manage large amounts of data. With its
highly scalable and reliable infrastructure, AWS S3 has
become a go-to solution for companies of all sizes and @luminousmen.com

industries.

But did you know that Amazon also offers two

alternative interfaces for accessing S3: S3N and S3A?
These interfaces provide additional functionality and
performance improvements for specific use cases.

https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 1 de 8
Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023 14:08

In this blog post, we'll dive into the technical details to

give you a better understanding of the differences
between S3, S3N, and S3A. We'll compare their
performance and reliability, examine their key features
and benefits, and provide recommendations on which
interface to use in different scenarios. So, let's get
started!

S3
S3 is a cloud-based object storage service provided by
Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows users to store
and retrieve any amount of data, at any time, from
anywhere on the web. S3 is built to provide high
durability, availability, and scalability, with low latency
and cost. It stores data in a simple key-value format and
supports a wide range of data types, from small text
files to large media files, and even databases.

Key Features and Benefits of Amazon

S3
High Scalability: S3 is designed to automatically
scale to meet the demands of any size of data,
with virtually unlimited storage capacity.
High Durability and Availability: S3 stores data
across multiple availability zones, which ensures
that data is always available and protected against
data loss or system failures.
Secure: S3 provides industry-standard encryption
https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 2 de 8
Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023 14:08

Secure: S3 provides industry-standard encryption

and access control mechanisms to ensure that
data is always secure.

Flexible: S3 supports multiple storage classes,

including standard, infrequent access, and archive
storage, to provide flexible options for data
storage based on access frequency and cost.
Easy Integration: S3 can be integrated with other
AWS services such as AWS Lambda, AWS Glue,
AWS EC2, and AWS EMR, etc to build end-to-end
data processing and analysis workflows.

Overall, S3 is a versatile and scalable storage solution

that provides high durability and availability, secure
data storage, and flexible storage options, making it a
popular choice for businesses of all sizes and
industries.

S3N
S3N (Amazon S3 Native File System) is an older
Hadoop file system implementation that allows users to
access data stored in S3. It was built on top of the S3
protocol and used the S3 block API to emulate a
Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) interface.
However, S3N is now considered outdated and is no
longer recommended for use with Hadoop.

Comparison of S3N to S3
Advantages:

High performance and scalability for big data

processing. S3N is designed to provide high
throughput and low latency when accessing data
stored in S3, making it ideal for big data
processing.
Easy integration with Hadoop tools and workflows.
S3N is compatible with the HDFS, which makes it
easy to integrate with existing Hadoop workflows
and tools.

Disadvantages:

Limited functionality compared to S3 and S3A.

https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 3 de 8
Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023 14:08

The reason for this is that S3N is based on an

older version of the S3 API, which does not

support some of the newer features and storage

classes available in S3.
Limited compatibility with other non-Hadoop tools
and workflows.
May require more technical expertise to set up and
manage than S3.

Overall, S3N is now considered an outdated interface

and is no longer recommended for use with Hadoop, it’s
better to switch to S3A.

S3A
S3A (Amazon S3A File System) is a newer and
recommended Hadoop-compatible interface for
accessing data stored in S3. S3A was introduced as
part of Apache Hadoop 2.7.0. It is built on top of the S3
protocol and uses the S3 object API to provide better
performance, scalability, and functionality compared to
S3N.

S3A supports all the features and storage classes

available in the S3 API, including S3 Standard, S3
Standard-Infrequent Access, S3 Intelligent-Tiering, S3
One Zone-Infrequent Access, and S3 Glacier. It also
supports all the features for managing data provided by
the S3 API, such as versioning, lifecycle policies, and
cross-region replication.

Comparison of S3A to S3 and S3N

Compared to S3, S3A provides a more seamless and
integrated experience when it comes to accessing data
stored in S3 within a Hadoop environment. It offers
improved performance and more advanced features
than S3N. However, S3A lacks some of the advanced
features and flexibility of S3.

Advantages:

Improved performance and scalability for big data

workloads. S3A can handle larger file sizes and

https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 4 de 8
Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023 14:08

has better fault tolerance and error handling

capabilities, which can help ensure data integrity

and reliability. S3A also provides better

performance for bulk data transfers, as it supports
multipart uploads and downloads, allowing you to
parallelize data transfers and optimize network
usage.
Seamless integration with Hadoop workflows and
tools. S3A is fully integrated with Hadoop, making
it easy to use with existing Hadoop workflows and
tools.
Advanced features. S3A supports advanced
features such as multipart uploads and downloads,
which can improve the reliability and speed of data 
transfers. 
More flexibility in storage and access
configurations. S3A provides users with more

flexibility than S3N when it comes to customizing 
storage and access configurations.

Disadvantages:

Limited functionality compared to S3, such as the

ability to store data in different storage classes.
May require more technical expertise to set up and
manage than S3.
May not be compatible with all Hadoop
distributions.

Overall, S3A is a good option for businesses that

require high performance and scalability when
accessing data stored in S3, as well as it is a good
Backup/DR option within a Hadoop environment.
However, it may not be the best option for businesses
that require more advanced features or that use other
non-Hadoop tools and workflows.

Differences between S3, S3N,

and S3A
S3, S3N, and S3A interfaces have different
architectures and performance characteristics, and
they are optimized for different use cases. S3 uses a
REST API to access objects stored in S3 buckets, while
https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 5 de 8
Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023 14:08

REST API to access objects stored in S3 buckets, while

S3N and S3A are Hadoop file system implementations
that enable Hadoop clusters to read and write data to
and from S3. S3N uses an older S3 block API interface,
while S3A uses the newer S3 object API, providing
better performance and more features.

S3, S3N, and S3A also offer different sets of features.

S3 supports a wide range of advanced features such as
lifecycle policies, versioning, and cross-region
replication, while S3N and S3A both support some
advanced features, but not as many as S3.

Key performance metrics

When choosing between S3, S3N, and S3A, it's
essential to consider the key performance metrics that
impact the suitability for different use cases.

S3 provides high data transfer rates for both uploads

and downloads. With S3 Transfer Acceleration, users
can achieve even faster data transfer rates by
uploading data to AWS Edge Locations, which then
transfer the data to S3. S3N and S3A provide fast data
transfer rates for large data sets, making them well-
suited for big data analytics and machine learning
workloads.

In terms of IOPS, S3 provides high IOPS, making it

suitable for a wide range of use cases, including
backups, archives, and cloud-based application
storage. S3N and S3A provide even higher IOPS,
making them well-suited for real-time analytics and
online gaming.
https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 6 de 8
Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023 14:08

online gaming.

In terms of latency, S3 provides low latency for read

operations, making it suitable for a wide range of use

cases. S3N provides even lower latency, making it well-
suited for use cases that require fast and predictable
data access, such as real-time analytics and online
gaming. S3A provides lower latency than S3, but higher
latency than S3N, making it well-suited for big data
analytics and machine learning workloads.

Which to Choose: S3, S3N, or S3A

The choice between S3, S3N, and S3A depends on the
specific needs and requirements of your business. Each
option has unique features and benefits that make them
suitable for different workloads.

S3 is a versatile storage option that offers advanced

features and multiple storage classes to cater to various
business needs. S3N, on the other hand, is a simpler
option that is easier to use and is well-suited for small
to medium-sized workloads. Finally, S3A is an excellent
choice for businesses that require high performance
and scalability for big data workloads and use Hadoop
workflows.

When choosing the best option for your business, it's

important to consider factors such as the type and size
of data being stored, desired level of durability and
availability, and required performance and cost
characteristics. You should also evaluate the
compatibility of each option with your existing tools and
workflows. Overall, each option has its strengths, and
by selecting the one that aligns with your business
needs, you can take advantage of the benefits of cloud
storage and drive innovation in your industry.

Materials
Stack Overflow: Technically what is the difference
between s3n, s3a and s3?
Community collaboration: The S3A story

https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 7 de 8
Choosing the Right AWS Storage Service: A Comprehensive Guide to S3, S3N, and S3A - Blog | luminousmen 24/10/2023 14:08

#cloud Last updated Mar 19 2023

Previous post Buy me a coffee Next post

0 Comments - powered by utteranc.es

Write Preview

Sign in to comment

Styling with Markdown is supported Sign in with GitHub

More? Well, there you go:

Data HDFS vs Data Lake vs
Challenges in Cloud-based Data
Big Data Object Warehouse
storage(S3)

· Tags · About · License · Subscribe · RSS · Feedly · Telegram · Support · QR · Uptime ·

© Copyright luminousmen.com All Rights Reserved

https://luminousmen.com/post/choosing-the-right-aws-storage-service-a-comprehensive-guide-to-s3-s3n-and-s3a Página 8 de 8