What is the difference between cloud 'cold' storage and archival tiers?

Cold storage vs archive tiers explained

Cloud providers offer multiple storage classes that trade off cost, availability, and retrieval speed. 'Cold' storage and archival tiers are both optimized for infrequent access but differ in latency, cost, and intended use.

Typical characteristics:

• Cold storage: Lower cost than hot tiers, faster retrieval times (seconds to minutes), suitable for infrequently accessed but occasionally needed data.
• Archive tiers: Lowest cost per GB, higher retrieval latency (minutes to hours), potential retrieval fees, best for long-term retention where access is rare.

Other differences may include minimum storage durations and API behavior. Archive tiers often include features like deep-glacier retrieval or batch restores and may require planning for retrieval windows.

Choose cold storage for data that must be quickly recoverable occasionally; use archive tiers for records kept for legal or historical reasons where retrieval is rare and cost-savings are paramount.