S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a cloud-based, high-volume storage service that runs on a data transfer protocol of the same name. Created and managed by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
S3 is a variant of “flat” storage, i.e. heterogeneous data is stored in it without hierarchical ordering. This makes it convenient to store information in S3 in any form and access it very quickly.
Each object in S3 is assigned a unique identifier and metadata. An object can be retrieved using a URL link via HTTP or HTTPS protocol.
The service was first launched in 2006 in the USA and later in 2007 in Europe. Today S3 object storage is one of the most popular solutions for cloud data storage.