GP2 vs GP3 vs IO1 in AWS: Key Differences and Usage Guide

In AWS, gp2 is a general-purpose SSD with performance tied to volume size, gp3 is a newer general-purpose SSD offering fixed baseline performance with customizable IOPS and throughput, and io1 is a high-performance SSD designed for critical workloads requiring consistent and high IOPS with provisioned capacity.

Quick Comparison

Here is a quick side-by-side comparison of gp2, gp3, and io1 AWS EBS volume types.

Feature	gp2	gp3	io1
Volume Type	General Purpose SSD	General Purpose SSD (New)	Provisioned IOPS SSD
Performance Model	Burst based, tied to volume size	Baseline 3,000 IOPS, customizable IOPS & throughput	Provisioned IOPS, consistent high performance
Max IOPS	16,000 (depends on size)	16,000 (can provision independently)	64,000 (higher max IOPS)
Max Throughput	250 MB/s	1,000 MB/s	1,000 MB/s
Cost	Lower cost, performance scales with size	Lower cost than io1, pay for IOPS separately	Higher cost, pay for IOPS provisioned
Use Case	General workloads, boot volumes	General workloads needing consistent performance	Critical databases and latency-sensitive apps

Key Differences

gp2 volumes provide performance that scales with the size of the volume. Smaller volumes get lower baseline IOPS and can burst temporarily. This makes gp2 cost-effective for general use but less predictable for performance-sensitive workloads.

gp3 is the newer generation of general-purpose SSD volumes. It offers a fixed baseline of 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s throughput regardless of volume size, with the option to provision additional IOPS and throughput independently. This flexibility allows better cost control and consistent performance.

io1 volumes are designed for high-performance applications requiring sustained high IOPS and low latency. You provision the exact IOPS you need, up to 64,000, and pay accordingly. This makes io1 ideal for critical databases and workloads where performance consistency is essential.

Code Comparison

Example AWS CLI command to create a gp2 volume of 100 GiB in us-east-1 region.

bash

aws ec2 create-volume --size 100 --volume-type gp2 --availability-zone us-east-1a

Output

{
    "VolumeId": "vol-0abcd1234efgh5678",
    "Size": 100,
    "AvailabilityZone": "us-east-1a",
    "State": "creating",
    "VolumeType": "gp2"
}

gp3 Equivalent

Example AWS CLI command to create a gp3 volume of 100 GiB with 5,000 IOPS and 250 MB/s throughput in us-east-1 region.

bash

aws ec2 create-volume --size 100 --volume-type gp3 --iops 5000 --throughput 250 --availability-zone us-east-1a

Output

{
    "VolumeId": "vol-0wxyz9876mnop5432",
    "Size": 100,
    "AvailabilityZone": "us-east-1a",
    "State": "creating",
    "VolumeType": "gp3",
    "Iops": 5000,
    "Throughput": 250
}

When to Use Which

Choose gp2 when you want a cost-effective volume for general workloads and can tolerate variable performance based on volume size.

Choose gp3 when you need consistent baseline performance with the flexibility to scale IOPS and throughput independently at a lower cost than io1.

Choose io1 when your application demands high, consistent IOPS and low latency, such as critical databases or transactional systems, and you are willing to pay more for guaranteed performance.

Key Takeaways

gp3 offers better baseline performance and cost control than gp2.

io1 is best for high-performance, latency-sensitive workloads needing provisioned IOPS.

gp2 performance depends on volume size and can burst temporarily.

Provision IOPS and throughput separately with gp3 for flexible performance tuning.

Choose volume type based on workload needs for cost and performance balance.