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AWS EBS Volume Types Comparison: Complete Migration Guide from io1 to gp3
Introduction
When selecting cloud computing resources, AWS Elastic Block Store (EBS) offers various volume types to meet different performance and cost requirements. This article provides an in-depth comparison of two commonly used SSD volume types—io1 (Provisioned IOPS SSD) and gp3 (General Purpose SSD)—along with practical migration steps and best practices.
Why Consider Migrating from io1 to gp3?
AWS introduced gp3 in late 2020, offering better performance and cost structure than its predecessor gp2. For many applications using io1, gp3 can be a more cost-effective choice for several reasons:
- Cost Advantage: gp3 base price is approximately 20% lower than io1, with independent IOPS and throughput adjustments
- Performance Flexibility: gp3 provides baseline 3,000 IOPS and 125 MiB/s throughput, scalable up to 16,000 IOPS and 1,000 MiB/s
- Simplified Configuration: No need to provision extremely high IOPS upfront; adjust based on actual needs
io1 vs gp3: Complete Performance and Cost Comparison
Performance Characteristics
| Feature | io1 | gp3 |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline IOPS | Must be provisioned | 3,000 IOPS (free) |
| Maximum IOPS | 64,000 IOPS (Nitro system) | 16,000 IOPS |
| Maximum Throughput | 1,000 MiB/s | 1,000 MiB/s |
| Latency | Low latency (milliseconds) | Low latency (milliseconds) |
| Volume Size Range | 4 GiB – 16 TiB | 1 GiB – 16 TiB |
Cost Structure Comparison
io1 Cost Calculation:
- Storage cost: $0.125/GB/month (us-east-1)
- IOPS cost: $0.065/IOPS/month
- Example: 500 GB + 10,000 IOPS = $62.5 + $650 = $712.5/month
gp3 Cost Calculation:
- Storage cost: $0.08/GB/month (us-east-1)
- Baseline 3,000 IOPS and 125 MiB/s free
- Additional IOPS: $0.005/IOPS/month (above 3,000 IOPS)
- Additional throughput: $0.04/MiB/s/month (above 125 MiB/s)
- Example: 500 GB + 10,000 IOPS = $40 + $35 + $0 = $75/month
In this example, gp3 saves approximately 90% in costs.
Use Case Analysis
When to Keep io1
- Need more than 16,000 IOPS: Large databases (Oracle, SAP HANA)
- Require extremely low and consistent latency: Financial trading systems, high-frequency trading applications
- Need Multi-Attach functionality: Multiple EC2 instances mounting the same EBS volume simultaneously
When to Migrate to gp3
- IOPS requirements below 16,000: Most application scenarios
- Cost-sensitive applications: Development/testing environments, non-critical business systems
- Intermittent high loads: Applications not requiring sustained high IOPS
- General databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB (small to medium-sized)
Migration Steps: From io1 to gp3
Step 1: Evaluate Current IOPS Usage
Use CloudWatch to check actual IOPS usage:
# Get average IOPS for the past 7 days
aws cloudwatch get-metric-statistics
--namespace AWS/EBS
--metric-name VolumeReadOps
--dimensions Name=VolumeId,Value=vol-xxxxxxxxx
--start-time 2024-02-03T00:00:00Z
--end-time 2024-02-10T00:00:00Z
--period 3600
--statistics Average,Maximum
--region us-east-1
Step 2: Create EBS Snapshot (Backup)
# Create snapshot
aws ec2 create-snapshot
--volume-id vol-xxxxxxxxx
--description "Backup before io1 to gp3 migration"
--tag-specifications 'ResourceType=snapshot,Tags=[{Key=Name,Value=io1-backup-20240210}]'
# Wait for snapshot completion
aws ec2 wait snapshot-completed --snapshot-ids snap-xxxxxxxxx
Step 3: Modify Volume Type
Method 1: Direct Modification (Not recommended for production, brief I/O pause)
# Modify volume type to gp3
aws ec2 modify-volume
--volume-id vol-xxxxxxxxx
--volume-type gp3
--iops 3000
--throughput 125
# Monitor modification progress
aws ec2 describe-volumes-modifications
--volume-ids vol-xxxxxxxxx
Method 2: Create New gp3 Volume from Snapshot (Recommended, zero downtime)
# Create gp3 volume from snapshot
aws ec2 create-volume
--availability-zone us-east-1a
--snapshot-id snap-xxxxxxxxx
--volume-type gp3
--iops 10000
--throughput 250
--tag-specifications 'ResourceType=volume,Tags=[{Key=Name,Value=myapp-gp3}]'
# Wait for volume creation
aws ec2 wait volume-available --volume-ids vol-yyyyyyyyy
# Stop EC2 instance (or during maintenance window)
aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids i-xxxxxxxxx
aws ec2 wait instance-stopped --instance-ids i-xxxxxxxxx
# Detach old io1 volume
aws ec2 detach-volume --volume-id vol-xxxxxxxxx
# Attach new gp3 volume
aws ec2 attach-volume
--volume-id vol-yyyyyyyyy
--instance-id i-xxxxxxxxx
--device /dev/sdf
# Start instance
aws ec2 start-instances --instance-ids i-xxxxxxxxx
Step 4: Validation and Performance Testing
After migration, use fio tool to test performance:
# Install fio (if not already installed)
sudo yum install fio -y # Amazon Linux/RHEL
sudo apt-get install fio -y # Ubuntu
# Random read/write test
sudo fio --filename=/dev/xvdf --direct=1 --rw=randrw --bs=4k
--ioengine=libaio --iodepth=256 --runtime=60 --numjobs=4
--time_based --group_reporting --name=iops-test
--eta-newline=1
# Sequential read/write test
sudo fio --filename=/dev/xvdf --direct=1 --rw=readwrite --bs=128k
--ioengine=libaio --iodepth=64 --runtime=60 --numjobs=4
--time_based --group_reporting --name=throughput-test
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Will modifying the volume type affect data?
A: No. Modifying the volume type does not affect data, but it’s recommended to create a snapshot backup first. There may be brief performance impact during modification.
Q2: Can I migrate without downtime?
A: You can use “Method 1: Direct Modification” for online modification, but there will be a brief I/O pause (usually a few seconds). For complete zero downtime, consider using database replication or application-level fault tolerance mechanisms.
Q3: Are 3,000 IOPS of gp3 sufficient?
A: For most applications (web servers, small databases, development environments), 3,000 IOPS is sufficient. If higher IOPS are needed, you can expand to 16,000 IOPS for a fee, still much cheaper than io1.
Q4: Can I revert to io1 after modification?
A: Yes, but EBS volume type modifications have a cooldown period (usually 6 hours) during which no further modifications are allowed.
Q5: How to monitor performance after migration?
A: Use CloudWatch to monitor the following metrics:
VolumeReadOps/VolumeWriteOps– IOPSVolumeReadBytes/VolumeWriteBytes– ThroughputVolumeQueueLength– I/O queue lengthVolumeThroughputPercentage– Throughput utilization
Best Practice Recommendations
- Test in non-production environments first: Perform migration in development or testing environments to ensure application performance meets expectations
- Choose low-traffic periods: Execute migration during business off-peak hours to minimize impact
- Retain snapshots for 30 days: Keep snapshots for at least 30 days after migration for quick rollback
- Monitor performance metrics: Continue monitoring CloudWatch metrics for at least 1 week after migration
- Gradual migration: Don’t migrate all volumes at once; start with non-critical systems
- Document configurations: Record IOPS and throughput settings for each volume for tracking
Conclusion
Migrating from io1 to gp3 can bring significant cost savings, especially for applications with IOPS requirements below 16,000. Through the steps outlined in this article, you can safely complete the migration while ensuring application performance remains unaffected. The key is to first evaluate actual needs, perform proper backups, execute during low-traffic periods, and continuously monitor post-migration performance.
For most application scenarios, gp3 offers better cost-effectiveness while maintaining sufficient performance. Only when needing more than 16,000 IOPS or special features like Multi-Attach should you consider keeping io1 or upgrading to io2.
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