AWS S3 and CloudFront: How to Store and Serve Static Assets Efficiently

If you're hosting images, videos, JavaScript, CSS, or other static files for your web app, you might be wondering: Should I use AWS S3 or CloudFront?

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While both services help deliver content efficiently, they serve different purposes.

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Let’s break it down.

What is AWS S3?

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a cloud-based object storage service where you can store files like images, videos, HTML, and CSS.

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It provides high durability, scalability, and availability, making it ideal for storing static assets.

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• Best for: Storing static files, backups, and large datasets.
• ‍Example Use Case: Uploading website images or JavaScript files to an S3 bucket.

What is AWS CloudFront?

Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery network (CDN) that speeds up the delivery of static and dynamic content by caching it in multiple locations worldwide.

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Instead of every user fetching files from a single S3 bucket, CloudFront serves them from edge locations closer to the user.

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• Best for: Speeding up content delivery and reducing latency.
• ‍Example Use Case: Serving website images, videos, or scripts quickly to users worldwide.

Should You Use S3, CloudFront, or Both?

S3 Alone? If your website has low traffic and users are close to your AWS region, serving files directly from S3 is fine.

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CloudFront Alone? Not possible—you need an origin (usually S3) to serve files.

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S3 + CloudFront? Best for high-traffic or global users. Store assets in S3 and use CloudFront to cache them at edge locations for faster delivery.

Key Differences

Purpose:

• S3: Stores files (object storage).
• CloudFront: Speeds up content delivery (CDN).

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Performance:

• S3: Standard AWS speeds.
• CloudFront: Caches content for faster load times.

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Cost:

• S3: Pay per GB stored.
• CloudFront: Pay per data transfer & requests.

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Security:

• S3: Can restrict access via IAM.
• CloudFront: Supports signed URLs & geo-restrictions.

Key Takeaway

If you need simple storage, go with S3.

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If you want faster load times and global distribution, use CloudFront with S3 as the origin.

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For most production websites, combining both services provides the best performance and scalability.