Amazon S3 vs Amazon RDS

The internet's universal storage closet: infinitely scalable, but watch out for those surprise bills meets managed databases for people who'd rather not manage databases. Here's our take.

Amazon S3

Nice Pick

The internet's universal storage closet: infinitely scalable, but watch out for those surprise bills.

Pros

• 11 nines of durability means your data is basically immortal
• Seamless integration with the entire AWS ecosystem
• Static website hosting that's dead simple to set up

Cons

• Costs can spiral if you forget to clean up old versions or misconfigure lifecycle policies
• Complex permission model (IAM) that's a headache for beginners

Amazon RDS

Managed databases for people who'd rather not manage databases. It's like having a DBA on retainer, but cheaper and less opinionated.

Pros

• Automates backups, patching, and scaling, so you can focus on your app instead of babysitting servers
• Supports multiple engines like PostgreSQL and MySQL, making it easy to switch or standardize
• Built-in high availability with Multi-AZ deployments, because downtime is for amateurs

Cons

• Costs can sneak up on you with instance sizes and storage, especially if you forget to turn things off
• Limited control over the underlying OS and some database settings, which can be frustrating for power users

The Verdict

Use Amazon S3 if: You want 11 nines of durability means your data is basically immortal and can live with costs can spiral if you forget to clean up old versions or misconfigure lifecycle policies.

Use Amazon RDS if: You prioritize automates backups, patching, and scaling, so you can focus on your app instead of babysitting servers over what Amazon S3 offers.

The Bottom Line

Amazon S3 wins

The internet's universal storage closet: infinitely scalable, but watch out for those surprise bills.