AWS S3 Storage Optimization: Lifecycle Policies That Actually Work

S3 is cheap for active data, but costs add up when you store terabytes of logs, backups, and old files in Standard storage.

Lifecycle policies can automatically move data to cheaper tiers (IA, Glacier) or delete it after a retention period.

Recommended lifecycle rules

1. Logs: Move to IA after 30 days, Glacier after 90 days, delete after 1 year.
2. Backups: Move to Glacier immediately, delete after 90 days.
3. User uploads: Move to IA after 6 months, delete after 2 years.

Sonar tracks S3 storage costs by bucket and tier, so you can see exactly how much you're saving with lifecycle policies.