--- name: cloud-object-storage-archive title: Archiving and accessing cold data description: IBM Cloud® Object Storage "Archive" and "Accelerated Archive" are low cost options for data that is rarely accessed. You can store data by transitioning from any of the storage tiers (Standard, Vault, Cold Vault and Flex) to long-term offline archive or use the online Cold Vault option. With the new "Accelerated Archive" feature you can quickly access dormant data with restoration occurring in less than two hours. last-updated: 2025-08-19 --- > ## Documentation Index > The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?format=markdown > The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt > Use these files to discover more information as needed. # Archiving and accessing cold data {: #archive} IBM Cloud® Object Storage "Archive" and "Accelerated Archive" are [low cost](https://www.ibm.com/products/cloud-object-storage) options for data that is rarely accessed. You can store data by transitioning from any of the storage tiers (Standard, Vault, Cold Vault and Flex) to long-term offline archive or use the online Cold Vault option. With the new "Accelerated Archive" feature you can quickly access dormant data with restoration occurring in less than two hours. {: shortdesc} This feature is not currently supported in Object Storage for Satellite. [Learn more.](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?topic=cloud-object-storage-about-cos-satellite&format=markdown) {: note} Archive and Accelerated Archive Tiers have a minimum storage duration of 90 days. Objects deleted prior to this time will still incur storage charges for the full 90 days. {: note} Archive and Accelerated Archive both have a minimum object size for billing of 128KBs. Objects smaller than this can still be archived but will be billed at the 128KB object size rate. {: note} Objects written to Vault or Cold Vault will be billed for the full minimum storage duration in those tiers even if the object is archived prior to the minimum duration. {: note} You can archive objects using the web console, REST API, and 3rd party tools that are integrated with IBM Cloud Object Storage. For more information about endpoints, see [Endpoints and storage locations](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?topic=cloud-object-storage-endpoints&format=markdown#endpoints) {: tip} ## Add or manage an archive policy on a bucket {: #archive-add} When creating or modifying an archive policy for a bucket, consider the following: * An archive policy can be added to a new or existing bucket at any time. * An existing archive policy can be modified or disabled. * A newly added or modified archive policy applies to new objects uploaded and does not affect existing objects. Create a bucket in the console after you've logged in, and configure your archive policy. To immediately archive new objects uploaded to a bucket, enter 0 days on the archive policy. {: tip} Archive is available in certain regions only. See [Integrated Services](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?topic=cloud-object-storage-service-availability&format=markdown) for more details. {: tip} ## Restore an archived object {: #archive-restore} In order to access an archived object, you must restore it to the original storage tier. When restoring an object, you can specify the number of days you want the object to be available. At the end of the specified period, the restored copy is deleted. The restoration process for "Accelerated Archive" takes up to 2 hours, while the restoration process for Archive takes up to 12 hours. {: tip} The archived object sub-states are: * Archived: An object in the archived state has been moved from its online storage tier (Standard, Vault, Cold Vault and Flex) to the offline archive tier based on the archive policy on the bucket. * Restoring: An object in the restoring state is in the process of generating a copy from the archived state to its original online storage tier. * Restored: An object in the restored state is a copy of the archived object that was restored to its original online storage tier for a specified amount of time. At the end of the period, the copy of the object is deleted, while maintaining the archived object. ### Restoring an object using the AWS CLI {: #archive-restore-cli} The following examples uses environment variables for clarity. These must be set to the desired values, for example `$ENDPOINT` would be set to `https://s3.us.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud`, or `https://s3.eu-de.private.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud`, or any other required value. 1. Check object status: `aws --endpoint-url $ENDPOINT s3api head-object --bucket $BUCKET --key $KEY` The storage class will be shown as `("StorageClass": "GLACIER")` 2. Restore the object: `aws --endpoint-url $ENDPOINT s3api restore-object ---bucket $BUCKET --key $KEY --restore-request '{"Days":25,"GlacierJobParameters":{"Tier":"Bulk"}}'` 3. Check the status: `aws --endpoint-url $ENDPOINT s3api head-object --bucket $BUCKET --key $KEY` ## Limitations {: #archive-limitations} Archive policies are implemented using subset of the `PUT Bucket Lifecycle Configuration` S3 API operation. Supported functionality includes: * Specifying either a date or the number of days in the future when objects transition to an archived state. * Setting [expiration rules](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?topic=cloud-object-storage-expiry&format=markdown) for objects. Policies specifying a date in the past may take up to a few days to complete. {: note} Unsupported functionality includes: * Multiple transition rules per bucket. * Filtering objects to archive using a prefix or object key. * Tiering between storage classes. Classic Infrastructure (non-IAM) users are unable to set the transition storage class to `ACCELERATED`. {: note} ## Using the REST API and SDKs {: #archive-api} ### Create a bucket lifecycle configuration {: #archive-api-create} This implementation of the `PUT` operation uses the `lifecycle` query parameter to set lifecycle settings for the bucket. This operation allows for a single lifecycle policy definition for a given bucket. The policy is defined as a rule consisting of the following parameters: `ID`, `Status`, and `Transition`. {: http} The transition action enables future objects written to the bucket to an archived state after a defined period of time. Changes to the lifecycle policy for a bucket are **only applied to new objects** written to that bucket. Cloud IAM users must have at a minimum the `Writer` role to add a lifecycle policy to the bucket. Classic Infrastructure Users must have Owner Permissions and be able to create buckets in the storage account to add a lifecycle policy to the bucket. This operation does not make use of additional operation specific query parameters. {: http} | Header | Type | Description | | ------------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Content-MD5` | String | The base64 encoded 128-bit MD5 hash of the payload, which is used as an integrity check to ensure that the payload wasn't altered in transit. | | `x-amz-checksum-crc32` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 32-bit CRC32 checksum of the object. | | `x-amz-checksum-crc32c` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 32-bit CRC32C checksum of the object.| | `x-amz-checksum-crc64nvme` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 64-bit CRC64NVME checksum of the object. The CRC64NVME checksum is always a full object checksum. | | `x-amz-checksum-sha1` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 160-bit SHA1 digest of the object. | | `x-amz-checksum-sha256` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 256-bit SHA256 digest of the object. | | `x-amz-sdk-checksum-algorithm` | String | Indicates the algorithm used to create the checksum for the object when using the SDK. | {: caption="Optional Headers" caption-side="top"} A `Content-MD5` header or a `checksum` header (including `x-amz-checksum-crc32`, `x-amz-checksum-crc32c`, `x-amz-checksum-crc64nvme`, `x-amz-checksum-sha1`, or `x-amz-checksum-sha256`) is required as an integrity check for the payload. The body of the request must contain an XML block with the following schema: {: http} Element | Type | Children | Ancestor | Constraint -------------------------|----------------------|----------------------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- `LifecycleConfiguration` | Container | `Rule` | None | Limit 1. `Rule` | Container | `ID`, `Status`, `Filter`, `Transition` | `LifecycleConfiguration` | Limit 1. `ID` | String | None | `Rule` | Must consist of (`a-z`,`A-Z`, `0-9`) and the following symbols: `!` `_` `.` `*` `'` `(` `)` `-` `Filter` | String | `Prefix` | `Rule` | Must contain a `Prefix` element `Prefix` | String | None | `Filter` | **Must** be set to ``. `Transition` | `Container` | `Days`, `StorageClass` | `Rule` | Limit 1 transition rule, and a maximum of 1000 total rules. `Days` | Non-negative integer | None | `Transition` | Must be a value equal to or greater than 0. `Date` | Date | None | `Transistion` | Must be in ISO 8601 Format and the date must be in the future. `StorageClass` | String | None | `Transition` | `GLACIER` or `ACCELERATED` {: http} __Syntax__ {: http} ```http PUT https://{endpoint}/{bucket}?lifecycle # path style PUT https://{bucket}.{endpoint}?lifecycle # virtual host style ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```xml {string} Enabled {integer} {StorageClass} ``` {: codeblock} {: http} __Examples__ {: http} _Sample Request_ ``` PUT /images?lifecycle HTTP/1.1 Host: s3.us.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 17:50:00 GMT Authorization: authorization string Content-Type: text/plain Content-MD5: 1B2M2Y8AsgTpgAmY7PhCfg== Content-Length: 305 ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```xml my-archive-policy Enabled 20 ACCELERATED ``` {: codeblock} {: http} _Sample Response_ ```http HTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 17:51:00 GMT Connection: close ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```js var params = { Bucket: 'STRING_VALUE', /* required */ LifecycleConfiguration: { Rules: [ /* required */ { Status: 'Enabled', /* required */ ID: 'STRING_VALUE', Filter: '', /* required */ Prefix: '', Transitions: [ { Date: DATE, /* required if Days not specified */ Days: 0, /* required if Date not specified */ StorageClass: 'STRING_VALUE' /* required */ }, ] }, ] } }; s3.putBucketLifecycleConfiguration(params, function(err, data) { if (err) console.log(err, err.stack); // an error occurred else console.log(data); // successful response }); ``` {: codeblock} {: javascript} ```py response = client.put_bucket_lifecycle_configuration( Bucket='string', LifecycleConfiguration={ 'Rules': [ { 'ID': 'string', 'Status': 'Enabled', 'Filter': '', 'Prefix': '', 'Transitions': [ { 'Date': datetime(2015, 1, 1), 'Days': 123, 'StorageClass': 'GLACIER' }, ] }, ] } ) ``` {: codeblock} {: python} ```java public SetBucketLifecycleConfigurationRequest(String bucketName, BucketLifecycleConfiguration lifecycleConfiguration) ``` {: codeblock} {: java} **Method Summary** {: java} Method | Description --- | --- `getBucketName()` | Gets the name of the bucket whose lifecycle configuration is being set. `getLifecycleConfiguration()` | Gets the new lifecycle configuration for the specified bucket. `setBucketName(String bucketName)` | Sets the name of the bucket whose lifecycle configuration is being set. `withBucketName(String bucketName)` | Sets the name of the bucket whose lifecycle configuration is being set, and returns this object so that additional method calls may be chained together. {: java} --- ### Retrieve a bucket lifecycle configuration {: #archive-api-retrieve} This implementation of the `GET` operation uses the `lifecycle` query parameter to retrieve the lifecycle settings for the bucket. Cloud IAM users must have at a minimum the `Reader` role to retrieve a lifecycle for a bucket. Classic Infrastructure Users must have at minimum `Read` permissions on the bucket to retrieve a lifecycle policy for a bucket. This operation does not make use of additional operation specific headers, query parameters, or payload. __Syntax__ {: http} ```http GET https://{endpoint}/{bucket}?lifecycle # path style GET https://{bucket}.{endpoint}?lifecycle # virtual host style ``` {: codeblock} {: http} __Examples__ {: http} _Sample Request_ ```http GET /images?lifecycle HTTP/1.1 Host: s3.us.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 17:50:00 GMT Authorization: authorization string ``` {: codeblock} {: http} _Sample Response_ ```http HTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 17:51:00 GMT Connection: close ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```xml my-archive-policy Enabled 20 GLACIER ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```js var params = { Bucket: 'STRING_VALUE' /* required */ }; s3.getBucketLifecycleConfiguration(params, function(err, data) { if (err) console.log(err, err.stack); // an error occurred else console.log(data); // successful response }); ``` {: codeblock} {: javascript} ```py response = client.get_bucket_lifecycle_configuration(Bucket='string') ``` {: codeblock} {: python} ```java public GetBucketLifecycleConfigurationRequest(String bucketName) ``` {: codeblock} {: java} --- ### Delete a bucket lifecycle configuration {: #archive-api-delete} This implementation of the `DELETE` operation uses the `lifecycle` query parameter to remove any lifecycle settings for the bucket. Transitions defined by the rules will no longer take place for new objects. **Note:** Existing transition rules will be maintained for objects that were already written to the bucket before the rules were deleted. Cloud IAM users must have at a minimum the `Writer` role to remove a lifecycle policy from a bucket. Classic Infrastructure Users must have `Owner` permissions on the bucket to remove a lifecycle policy from a bucket. This operation does not make use of additional operation specific headers, query parameters, or payload. __Syntax__ {: http} ```http DELETE https://{endpoint}/{bucket}?lifecycle # path style DELETE https://{bucket}.{endpoint}?lifecycle # virtual host style ``` {: codeblock} {: http} __Examples__ {: http} _Sample Request_ ```http DELETE /images?lifecycle HTTP/1.1 Host: s3.us.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 18:50:00 GMT Authorization: authorization string ``` {: codeblock} {: http} _Sample Response_ {: http} ```http HTTP/1.1 204 No Content Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 18:51:00 GMT Connection: close ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```js var params = { Bucket: 'STRING_VALUE' /* required */ }; s3.deleteBucketLifecycle(params, function(err, data) { if (err) console.log(err, err.stack); // an error occurred else console.log(data); // successful response }); ``` {: codeblock} {: javascript} ```py response = client.delete_bucket_lifecycle(Bucket='string') ``` {: codeblock} {: python} ```java public DeleteBucketLifecycleConfigurationRequest(String bucketName) ``` {: codeblock} {: java} --- ### Temporarily restore an archived object {: #archive-api-restore} This implementation of the `POST` operation uses the `restore` query parameter to request temporary restoration of an archived object. The user must first restore an archived object before downloading or modifying the object. When restoring an object, the user must specify a period after which the temporary copy of the object will be deleted. The object maintains the storage class of the bucket. There can be a delay of up to 12 hours before the restored copy is available for access. A `HEAD` request can check if the restored copy is available. To permanently restore the object, the user must copy the restored object to a bucket that does not have an active lifecycle configuration. Cloud IAM users must have at a minimum the `Writer` role to restore an object. Classic Infrastructure users must have at a minimum `Write` permissions on the bucket and `Read` permission on the object to restore it. This operation does not make use of additional operation specific query parameters. | Header | Type | Description | | ------------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Content-MD5` | String | The base64 encoded 128-bit MD5 hash of the payload, which is used as an integrity check to ensure that the payload wasn't altered in transit. | | `x-amz-checksum-crc32` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 32-bit CRC32 checksum of the object. | | `x-amz-checksum-crc32c` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 32-bit CRC32C checksum of the object.| | `x-amz-checksum-crc64nvme` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 64-bit CRC64NVME checksum of the object. The CRC64NVME checksum is always a full object checksum. | | `x-amz-checksum-sha1` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 160-bit SHA1 digest of the object. | | `x-amz-checksum-sha256` | String | This header is the Base64 encoded, 256-bit SHA256 digest of the object. | | `x-amz-sdk-checksum-algorithm` | String | Indicates the algorithm used to create the checksum for the object when using the SDK. | {: caption="Optional Headers" caption-side="top"} The body of the request must contain an XML block with the following schema: Element | Type | Children | Ancestor | Constraint -----------------------|-----------|--------------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- `RestoreRequest` | Container | `Days`, `GlacierJobParameters` | None | None `Days` | Integer | None | `RestoreRequest` | Specified the lifetime of the temporarily restored object. The minimum number of days that a restored copy of the object can exist is 1. After the restore period has elapsed, temporary copy of the object will be removed. `GlacierJobParameters` | String | `Tier` | `RestoreRequest` | None `Tier` | String | None | `GlacierJobParameters` | Optional, and if left blank will default to the value associated with the storage tier of the policy that was in place when the object was written. If this value is not left blank, it **must** be set to `Bulk` if the transition storage class for the bucket's lifecycle policy was set to `GLACIER`, and **must** be set to `Accelerated` if the transition storage class was set to `ACCELERATED`. A successful response returns a `202` if the object is in the archived state and a `200` if the object is already in the restored state. If the object is already in the restored state and a new request to restore the object is received, the `Days` element will update the expiration time of the restored object. __Syntax__ {: http} ```http POST https://{endpoint}/{bucket}/{object}?restore # path style POST https://{bucket}.{endpoint}/{object}?restore # virtual host style ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```xml {integer} Bulk ``` {: codeblock} {: http} __Examples__ {: http} _Sample Request_ {: http} ```http POST /images/backup?restore HTTP/1.1 Host: s3.us.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 19:50:00 GMT Authorization: {authorization string} Content-Type: text/plain Content-MD5: 1B2M2Y8AsgTpgAmY7PhCfg== Content-Length: 305 ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```xml 3 Bulk ``` {: codeblock} {: http} _Sample Response_ ```http HTTP/1.1 202 Accepted Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 19:51:00 GMT Connection: close ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```js var params = { Bucket: 'STRING_VALUE', /* required */ Key: 'STRING_VALUE', /* required */ ContentMD5: 'STRING_VALUE', /* required */ RestoreRequest: { Days: 1, /* days until copy expires */ GlacierJobParameters: { Tier: 'STRING_VALUE' /* required */ }, } }; s3.restoreObject(params, function(err, data) { if (err) console.log(err, err.stack); // an error occurred else console.log(data); // successful response }); ``` {: codeblock} {: javascript} ```py response = client.restore_object( Bucket='string', Key='string', RestoreRequest={ 'Days': 123, 'GlacierJobParameters': { 'Tier': 'string' }, } ) ``` {: codeblock} {: python} ```java public RestoreObjectRequest(String bucketName, String key, int expirationInDays) ``` {: codeblock} {: java} **Method Summary** {: java} Method | Description --------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- `clone()` | Creates a shallow clone of this object for all fields except the handler context. `getBucketName()` | Returns the name of the bucket containing the reference to the object to restore. `getExpirationInDays()` | Returns the time in days from an object's creation to its expiration. `setExpirationInDays(int expirationInDays)` | Sets the time, in days, between when an object is uploaded to the bucket and when it expires. {: java} --- ### Get an object's headers {: #archive-api-head} A `HEAD` given a path to an object retrieves that object's headers. This operation does not make use of operation specific query parameters or payload elements. {: http} __Syntax__ {: http} ```sh HEAD https://{endpoint}/{bucket-name}/{object-name} # path style HEAD https://{bucket-name}.{endpoint}/{object-name} # virtual host style ``` {: codeblock} {: http} __Response headers for archived objects__ {: http} Header | Type | Description --- | ---- | ------------ `x-amz-restore` | string | Included if the object has been restored or if a restoration is in progress. If the object has been restored, the expiry date for the temporary copy is also returned. `x-amz-storage-class` | string | Returns `GLACIER` or `ACCELERATED` if archived or temporarily restored. `x-ibm-archive-transition-time` | date | Returns the date and time when the object is scheduled to transition to the archive tier. `x-ibm-transition` | string | Included if the object has transition metadata and returns the tier and original time of transition. `x-ibm-restored-copy-storage-class` | string | Included if an object is in the `RestoreInProgress` or `Restored` states and returns the storage class of the bucket. {: http} _Sample request_ {: http} ```http HEAD /images/backup HTTP/1.1 Authorization: {authorization-string} x-amz-date: 20160825T183244Z Host: s3.us.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud ``` {: codeblock} {: http} _Sample response_ {: http} ```http HTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2018 19:51:00 GMT X-Clv-Request-Id: da214d69-1999-4461-a130-81ba33c484a6 Accept-Ranges: bytes Server: 3.x X-Clv-S3-Version: 2.5 ETag: "37d4c94839ee181a2224d6242176c4b5" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Last-Modified: Thu, 25 Aug 2017 17:49:06 GMT Content-Length: 11 x-ibm-transition: transition="ARCHIVE", date="Mon, 03 Dec 2018 22:28:38 GMT" x-amz-restore: ongoing-request="false", expiry-date="Thu, 06 Dec 2018 18:28:38 GMT" x-amz-storage-class: "GLACIER" x-ibm-restored-copy-storage-class: "Standard" ``` {: codeblock} {: http} ```py response = client.head_object( Bucket='string', Key='string' ) ``` {: codeblock} {: python} ```js var params = { Bucket: 'STRING_VALUE', /* required */ Key: 'STRING_VALUE', /* required */ }; s3.headObject(params, function(err,data) { if (err) console.log(err, err.stack); // an error occurred else console.log(data); // successful response }); ``` {: codeblock} {: javascript} ```java public ObjectMetadata() ``` {: codeblock} {: java} **Method Summary** {: java} Method | Description --- | --- `clone()` | Returns a clone of this `ObjectMetadata`. `getRestoreExpirationTime()` | Returns the time at which an object that has been temporarily restored from ARCHIVE will expire, and will need to be restored again in order to be accessed. `getStorageClass() ` | Returns the original storage class of the bucket. `getIBMTransition()` | Return the transition storage class and time of transition. {: java} ## Next Steps {: #archive-next-steps} In addition to cold storage, IBM Cloud currently provides several additional object storage classes for different user needs, all of which are accessible through web-based portals and RESTful APIs. Learn more about all [storage classes](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-object-storage?topic=cloud-object-storage-classes&format=markdown) available at IBM Cloud Object Storage.