Docs

Torch Object Storage

Intelligent Tiering

Intelligent Tiering overview

TOS Intelligent Tiering storage type automatically moves objects between access tiers based on their access frequency to reduce storage costs. This topic describes the use cases and notes related to Intelligent Tiering.

Introduction

If you are unsure how often you will need to access an object, you can store it in Intelligent Tiering. TOS will then automatically monitor the object's access frequency and, according to the Intelligent Tiering rules, transition it to the infrequent access or flashback archive tier. This will effectively reduce your storage costs. By default, objects uploaded or transitioned to Intelligent Tiering for the first time are stored in the frequent access tier.

If you want to store your objects in Intelligent Tiering, we recommend enabling the log analysis feature. Log analysis records details such as the time of the request, the type of operation, the name of the object and its size. From the log analysis page, you can export logs and retrieve object names to review access details, such as the last access time and frequency. Learn more in Log analysis.

Viewing Intelligent Tiering rules

In the left navigation pane, click Buckets. In the Buckets list, click the bucket you want to manage.

In the left navigation pane, select Basic configurations > Intelligent-Tiering. On the Intelligent-Tiering page, view the rule details. The Intelligent Tiering rules are as follows:

Any objects that have not been accessed for 30 consecutive days will be moved to the infrequent access tier of Intelligent Tiering.

Any objects that have not been accessed for 90 consecutive days will be moved to the flashback archive tier of Intelligent Tiering.

Billing notes

The billable items for Intelligent Tiering are described below.

tip

This section only provides a description of billable items. For specific prices, see TOS pricing details.

Billable item	Description	Related documentation
Intelligent Tiering - Storage	The cost of storing objects in Intelligent Tiering varies depending on the access tier of the objects: If your objects are in the frequent access tier of Intelligent Tiering, charges are calculated in the same way as for Standard Storage. If your objects are in the infrequent access tier of Intelligent Tiering, charges are calculated in the same way as for Infrequent Access Storage. If your objects are in the flashback archive tier of Intelligent Tiering, charges are calculated in the same way as for Flashback Archive. warning Objects smaller than 64 KiB will remain in the frequent access tier and will not be transitioned to infrequent access or flashback archive tier.	Storage
Intelligent Tiering - Object monitoring	Object monitoring charges are calculated based on the number of objects stored in Intelligent Tiering. warning Objects smaller than 64 KiB are exempt from object monitoring charges.	Data processing
Intelligent Tiering - Requests	You are charged based on the number of API requests. This is the same as Standard Storage.	Requests

Notes

Category	Description
Object constraints	By default, objects uploaded or transitioned to Intelligent Tiering for the first time are stored in the frequent access tier. TOS automatically moves objects between different access tiers within Intelligent Tiering based on its rules. There is no minimum storage duration requirement. Objects smaller than 64 KiB will remain in the frequent access tier and will not be transitioned to other tiers. Once an object is accessed again, it will automatically transition to the frequent access tier of Intelligent Tiering, ensuring optimal data retrieval performance. Subsequent tiering will continue to follow the predefined rules.
Billing	In addition to storage costs, objects in the Intelligent Tiering will incur additional object monitoring charges. Objects smaller than 64 KiB are exempt from object monitoring charges.
Lifecycle	When you transition objects from Standard storage or Infrequent Access storage to Intelligent Tiering through lifecycle rules: Standard storage: Objects are stored in the frequent access tier of Intelligent Tiering. Infrequent Access storage: Objects are stored in the infrequent access tier of Intelligent Tiering.

Moving objects to Intelligent Tiering

You can select Intelligent Tiering as the storage type using the following methods:

Uploading objects: During upload, select Intelligent Tiered Storage as Storage type.

Changing the object storage type: Change the Storage type of existing objects to Intelligent Tiered Storage.

Configuring lifecycle rules: Use lifecycle rules to transition objects from Standard Storage or Infrequent Access Storage to Intelligent Tiering.

FAQ

What is the difference between Intelligent Tiering and Lifecycle?

Intelligent Tiering governs transitions between the various tiers of this storage type. Specifically, TOS automatically moves objects within Intelligent Tiering to the infrequent access or flashback archive tier according to how frequently they are accessed.

The lifecycle feature manages transitions between different storage types. TOS supports moving objects from Standard Storage or Infrequent Access Storage to Intelligent Tiering based on a lifecycle rule.

Is there a minimum storage duration for objects in the infrequent access or flashback archive tier of Intelligent Tiering? Are there any penalty fees for early deletion?

Currently, there is no minimum storage duration requirement and no fees are charged for early deletion.

Will I be charged for retrieving objects from the infrequent access or flashback archive tier of Intelligent Tiering?

No.

Once they are accessed or updated, will objects in the infrequent access or flashback archive tier of Intelligent Tiering automatically transition to the frequent access tier?

Yes.

Last updated: 2026.07.01 14:48:56