COS supports object-based lifecycle configuration. By sending specific description language to a bucket, COS can automatically perform predefined actions on objects to which a rule is applied.

A lifecycle can be set to as long as 3,650 days.

Use Cases

Log Record

With corresponding lifecycle configuration, log data stored in COS can be automatically archived after 30 days or deleted after 2 years.

Data Transition

Hot data is frequently accessed in a short period of time after the upload, but then is less or not accessed at all after some time. Therefore, you may set the lifecycle rules to store the data uploaded 30 days ago in Standard_IA storage class and store the data uploaded 60 days ago in Archive storage class. This process is called data transition.

Archive Management

When you use COS for file archive management, you need to save all historical versions of files for a long time in accordance with compliance requirements in financial, medical, and other industries. In this case, you can configure the lifecycle to transition and store the historical versions of files in Archive storage class.

Support Descriptions

Supported Actions

• Data transition: transition objects to Standard_IA or Archive storage class after a specified period of time.
• Deletion after expiration: automatically delete objects after their specified expiration time.

Supported Resources

• Specified based on prefixes: objects with different prefixes are processed according to applicable rules.
• Versioning-enabled objects: you can manage the current and historical versions of objects separately as needed.
• Objects with delete markers: when all old versions of objects are cleared, you can specify to remove their delete markers.
• Incomplete multipart uploads: process incomplete multipart upload tasks.

Supported Time Conditions

• Based on the number of days: specify in how many days after an object is last modified the corresponding action will be performed.
• Based on a specific date: specify a date when the corresponding action will be performed.

Notes

Data Transition

Supported Regions

Data transition to the Archive storage class is supported in public cloud regions.

One-way Transition

Data transition is one-way (from Standard storage to Standard_IA storage to Archive storage or from Standard storage to Archive storage) and cannot be in the reversed way. You can only call PUT Object - Copy (for non-archive storage classes) or POST Object restore (for Archive storage class only) to restore data from a colder storage class to a hotter class.

Eventual Consistency

If multiple conflicting rules (excluding deletion after expiration) are configured for the same set of objects, these rules will be performed in a chronological order. The objects will be transitioned to the coldest storage class according to the rules.

It is strongly recommended that you do not configure conflicting lifecycle rules for the same set of objects in COS, because this may result in additional fees.

Deletion after Expiration

How it Works

When an object matches the specified lifecycle rule of deletion after expiration, COS will add it to the async deletion queue. There will be a delay in the actual deletion. You can get the current status of the object by performing a GET or HEAD Object operation.

Eventual Consistency

If multiple conflicting rules are configured for the same set of objects, these rules will be performed in chronological order in accordance with expiration time. Deletion after expiration takes precedence over before transition from one storage class to another.

It is strongly recommended that you do not configure conflicting lifecycle rules for the same set of objects in COS, because this may result in additional fees.

Cost Considerations

Execution Instructions

Once triggered, actions configured at any time will always be executed at 00:00 Beijing time (GMT+8) the next day in COS. As objects need to be added to an async queue before execution, for objects uploaded after the configuration time that are matched by a rule, actions will be performed on them before 00:00 the next day.

When any accident occurs or there are too many objects in the bucket, lifecycle execution may fail. For failures due to other reasons, execute GET or HEAD Object to get the current object status.

Tencent Cloud cannot provide an accurate bill unless the lifecycle execution is completed.

Time-insensitivity

Please note that the minimum storage duration in Standard_IA or Archive storage class is 30 or 60 days, respectively; otherwise, additional storage fees will be incurred upon data transition or deletion. COS will not check lifecycle configurations less than 30/60 days; therefore, it will execute correct configurations upon your request.

For example, if an object in Standard_IA storage class is transitioned before it is stored for 30 days, it will start incurring Archive storage fees on the transition day and continue incurring Standard_IA storage fees until the 30th day.

Another example is that if an archived object is deleted upon expiration before it is stored for 60 days, it will continue incurring Archive storage fees until the 60th day.

Size-insensitivity

There are minimum object size requirements in both the Standard_IA and Archive storage classes. For example, if an object below 64 KB is uploaded to the Standard_IA storage class, it will be calculated as 64 KB. COS will not check the file size; instead, it will perform object conversion operations unconditionally according to the specified rule.