S3 Deep Glacier Requirements

No, you do not need to use regular S3 storage in order to use S3 Glacier Deep Archive. S3 Glacier Deep Archive is an independent storage class that can be used directly.

Some key things to know about S3 Glacier Deep Archive:

• Objects are stored in a different infrastructure tier optimized for long-term retention at the lowest rates.

• You can store data directly in Deep Archive without going through other S3 tiers.

• Minimum storage duration of 180 days. Retrieval times are 12 hours for expedited, 48 hours for standard.

• Higher per-operation costs but lowest overall storage costs.

• Supports features like versioning, lifecycle policies, encryption, etc.

So in summary, S3 Glacier Deep Archive provides an independent archival tier that does not require using regular S3. You can transition objects directly to Deep Archive for long-term storage at high retrieval times and very low storage rate