S3 Consistency Model Variance
Summary
What it is
The differences in consistency guarantees across S3-compatible storage providers. AWS S3 is now strongly consistent; other providers may differ.
Where it fits
This pain point surfaces when building portable S3 applications. Code that assumes strong consistency works on AWS S3 but may fail on providers with different guarantees. Originates from: **S3 API**.
Misconceptions / Traps
- AWS S3 became strongly consistent in December 2020, but many older blog posts and architectural patterns still reference eventual consistency. Verify the consistency model of your specific provider.
- MinIO has always been strictly consistent. Do not assume all S3-compatible stores have weaker guarantees than AWS.
Key Connections
scoped_toS3, Object Storage
Note: The INDEX.md definition references S3 API as the origin of this variance, but no formal edges connect this pain point to S3 API or to specific S3-compatible implementations.
Definition
What it is
The differences in consistency guarantees across S3-compatible storage providers. AWS S3 is now strongly consistent, but MinIO, Ceph, and other implementations may offer different guarantees.
Relationships
Outbound Relationships
scoped_toResources
AWS's official page announcing strong read-after-write consistency for all S3 operations as of December 2020.
Jeff Barr's AWS News Blog post detailing the 2020 consistency upgrade, explaining that strong consistency comes at no additional cost or performance penalty.
MinIO's engineering blog explaining that MinIO has always provided strict read-after-write and list-after-write consistency, contrasting with S3's historical model.