# Amazon S3

> A giant online drawer for files, rented by the gigabyte.

- Level: Basic
- Topics: AWS, Cloud
- URL: https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/amazon-s3/
- In Spanish: [Amazon S3](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/es/amazon-s3/)

**S3** (Simple Storage Service) is the AWS service for storing files of any size: photos, backups, videos, logs, website pages. You create a **bucket** (a named container) and put **objects** (files) inside it, each with a key that works like a file path.

There is no disk to manage and no limit to worry about. AWS copies every object to several machines so it survives hardware failures, and you pay only for the space you use and the data you move out.

S3 is the quiet foundation of a lot of the internet: static websites are served from it, data warehouses read from it, and machine learning datasets live in it.

## An analogy

A self-storage facility with infinite units. You get a unit (bucket), you drop boxes in it (objects), each box has a label (key), and the facility is responsible for keeping the building standing.

## Keep in mind

- Bucket names are unique across all of AWS, worldwide.
- Objects are private by default; you choose who can read them.
- Cheaper storage classes exist for files you rarely open.

## Go deeper

- [What is Amazon S3? (official docs)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/Welcome.html)
- [S3 pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/pricing/)

## Related terms

- [Backup](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/backup/): A separate copy of your data, kept so you can get it back when the original is lost.
- [Container](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/container/): A sealed box with a program and everything it needs to run anywhere.
- [Internet](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/internet/): A worldwide network of networks that lets any connected device reach any other.
- [Data warehouse](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/data-warehouse/): A database built for analysis: years of history, from many sources, in one place.
- [Machine learning](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/machine-learning/): Teaching computers by showing them examples instead of writing every rule.