Volumes & Storage (EBS) 📦
Welcome back, cloud cadet! 🌤️
You’ve launched your EC2 instance, secured it, and even got a permanent house number (Elastic IP). But where do you actually store your files, apps, and data?
Enter EBS – Elastic Block Store, your cloud closet for all things storage. 🧰
What is EBS?
- EBS = Elastic Block Store
- Provides persistent block storage for your EC2 instance
- Think of it as a hard drive in the cloud – it sticks around even if you stop or terminate your instance 💾
Analogy: EC2 is your cloud apartment 🏢, EBS is your closet where you keep everything 🧳
Types of EBS Volumes
| Volume Type | Best For | Fun Analogy |
|---|---|---|
| gp3 (General Purpose SSD) | Most workloads, balanced | Standard closet for clothes 👕 |
| io2/io2 Block Express (IOPS optimized) | Databases, high-performance apps | Walk-in closet with shelves for everything 🏋️♂️ |
| st1 (Throughput Optimized HDD) | Big data, logs | Garage for large stuff 🚚 |
| sc1 (Cold HDD) | Archival storage, infrequently accessed | Attic for stuff you rarely use 🏚️ |
How to Use EBS
- Attach volume to EC2 instance → Like adding a new closet to your apartment 🏢
- Mount the volume → Make it usable by your instance 🛠️
- Read/write data → Store apps, files, databases safely 💾
- Snapshots → Backup your volume in case of disasters 📸
Tip: Always take snapshots before major changes – accidents happen 😅
Quick Tips for Noobs
- Default root volume is usually 8–20 GiB SSD 🏎️
- You can increase size anytime without stopping the instance (most cases) ⏫
- Use different volume types based on your workload – balance cost & performance 💸