Storage Gateway Volume Gateway VS Storage Gateway File Gateway

Volume Gateway - Storage Mode

• Protocol: iSCSI block-level storage

• Use Case: Applications requiring block storage

• Primary Data: Stored locally, async backup to S3

• Access Method: Mount as iSCSI volumes

• Best For:

  • Applications needing low-latency

  • Block storage requirements

  • Database backups

  • On-premises applications that require iSCSI

Volume Gateway - Cached Mode

• Protocol: iSCSI block-level storage

• Use Case: Applications requiring block storage with less local storage

• Primary Data: Stored in S3, frequently accessed data cached locally

• Access Method: Mount as iSCSI volumes

• Best For:

  • Applications needing block storage with limited local storage

  • Large datasets with predictable access patterns

  • Cost-effective block storage solutions

  • Hybrid cloud architectures

File Gateway

• Protocol: NFS/SMB file-level storage

• Use Case: File share and file-based applications

• Primary Data: Stored in S3, cached locally

• Access Method: Mount as network file share

• Best For:

  • File shares

  • Document repositories

  • Object storage access

  • Direct S3 integration needs

Key Differences:

Volume Gateway (Storage)	Volume Gateway (Cached)	File Gateway
Block Storage (iSCSI)	Block Storage (iSCSI)	File Storage (NFS/SMB)
Local Primary Storage	S3 Primary Storage	S3 Primary Storage
Async Backup to S3	Local Cache of Hot Data	Local Cache only
Full volume required	Partial volume cache ok	Partial file cache ok

Common Use Cases:

• Volume Gateway Storage Mode:

  • Enterprise backup solutions

  • Database storage

  • Applications requiring block devices

• Volume Gateway Cached Mode:

  • Large datasets with limited local storage

  • Hybrid cloud storage solutions

  • Secondary storage tiers

  • Cloud-first block storage deployments

• File Gateway:

  • Shared file storage

  • Content repositories

  • Data lake ingestion

  • Cloud migration of file shares