Choosing the right storage plays a crucial role in the performance and costs of your cloud applications. Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers two highly popular Elastic Block Store (EBS) storage types: GP2 and GP3. In this article, we’ll delve into the showdown between GP2 and GP3 for storage on EC2 instances, exploring their performance, features, and costs to help you make an informed decision.
The EBS Duel: GP2 vs. GP3 in AWS
GP2: Tried and True Speed
GP2, or General Purpose 2, is a reliable choice for many cloud applications. It offers a solid balance between performance and cost, making it a popular choice for general workloads. GP2 is based on the performance credit system, meaning you get predictable and consistent performance until you exhaust your credits.
One of GP2’s key advantages is its ability to provide good performance for read and write-intensive workloads. For applications that require quick and constant access to data, GP2 can be a wise choice. However, its storage capacity is limited compared to GP3, which might be a limitation for some applications.
GP3: Power and Flexibility
GP3, AWS’s next-generation general-purpose storage, entered the market with a clear goal: to enhance performance and efficiency. Unlike GP2, GP3 doesn’t rely on the performance credit system, meaning you can enjoy consistent performance without worrying about credits running out.
What makes GP3 even more appealing is its ability to adjust performance by modifying storage capacity and performance separately. This provides greater flexibility to adapt to changing application needs. If your application experiences demand spikes, GP3 can be adjusted to meet those needs seamlessly.
The Price of AWS storage
When it comes to making informed decisions in the cloud, cost considerations can’t be overlooked. In terms of pricing, GP2 generally has a lower base price per GB compared to GP3. However, the real difference lies in how performance is billed.
GP2 charges for the amount of provisioned storage and additionally for used performance credits. This can make costs less predictable if your application requires consistent performance.
GP3, on the other hand, bills for provisioned storage capacity and performance in Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) separately. This can result in greater transparency and cost control as you know exactly what you’re paying for in terms of both performance and storage.
Comparing Amazon EBS volume types gp2 and gp3
Here is a quick comparison of cost between gp2 and gp3 volumes in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia) Region (detailed pricing examples are available here):
| Volume type | gp3 | gp2 |
| Volume size | 1 GiB – 16 TiB | 1 GiB – 16 TiB |
| Baseline IOPS | 3000 | 3 IOPS/GiB (minimum 100 IOPS) to a maximum of 16,000 IOPSVolumes smaller than 1 TiB can also burst up to 3,000 IOPS. |
| Max IOPS/volume | 16,000 | 16,000 |
| Baseline throughput | 125 MiB/s | Throughput limit is between 128 MiB/s and 250 MiB/s, depending on the volume size. |
| Max throughput/volume | 1,000 MiB/s | 250 MiB/s |
| Price | $0.08/GiB-month3,000 IOPS free and$0.005/provisioned IOPS-month over 3,000;125 MiB/s free and$0.04/provisioned MiB/s-month over 125MiB/s | $0.10/GiB-month |
How to migrate from gp2 to gp3
Amazon EBS Elastic Volumes allows you modifying your volume type from gp2 to gp3 without detaching volumes or restarting instances, which means that your applications will remain uninterrupted during modifications.
Be aware that managing efficiently EBS storage volumes is user’s responsibility. Check out this post to see how we managed to improve 35% of costs in AWS by correctly managing EBS volumes.
Use Cases
So, when should you choose GP2, and when should you opt for GP3? Here are some common use cases:
- GP2: If you have a budget-conscious general workload, and moderate performance is sufficient, GP2 is a solid choice.
- GP3: For applications requiring consistent performance or experiencing fluctuating demand, GP3 is a smart choice. It’s also suitable for applications needing larger storage capacity.
Conclusion
Choosing between GP2 and GP3 on AWS for storage in EC2 instances depends on your specific needs. GP2 offers balanced performance at an affordable price, while GP3 provides greater flexibility and consistent performance at a competitive cost. To make the right decision, carefully evaluate your performance requirements, storage capacity needs, and budget.
Ultimately, the choice between GP2 and GP3 is just one part of the equation. You should also consider other factors such as network capacity, scalability, and your application’s overall architecture. By doing so, you can build a cloud infrastructure that’s optimal in terms of both performance and cost, allowing you to harness the full benefits of AWS.
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