Technology

Backblaze B2

A low-cost S3-compatible cloud storage service with free egress to CDN partners through the Bandwidth Alliance, designed for cost-effective bulk storage.

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Summary

What it is

A low-cost S3-compatible cloud storage service with free egress to CDN partners through the Bandwidth Alliance, designed for cost-effective bulk storage.

Where it fits

B2 occupies the budget tier of S3-compatible cloud storage. Its low per-GB pricing and free egress to partners (Cloudflare, Fastly) make it attractive for backup, archive, and media delivery workloads where cost dominates.

Misconceptions / Traps

B2 is not AWS S3. Some S3 features are missing or behave differently. Performance characteristics, request rate limits, and consistency guarantees differ from AWS.
Free egress only applies to Bandwidth Alliance partners. Direct internet egress has standard charges.

Key Connections

implements S3 API — S3-compatible interface
solves Egress Cost — free egress to CDN partners
solves Vendor Lock-In — S3-compatible alternative to AWS

Definition

What it is

Low-cost S3-compatible cloud object storage with transparent pricing and zero egress to Cloudflare, Fastly, and other CDN partners via the Bandwidth Alliance.

Why it exists

S3 storage and egress pricing is opaque and expensive at scale. B2 offers dramatically lower per-GB storage costs and free egress to partner networks, making it attractive for archival and media-heavy workloads.

Primary use cases

Low-cost archival storage, media asset management, S3-compatible backup target, budget-friendly data lakes.

Recent developments

Latest signals

Backblaze B2 Neo wins NAB Show 2026 Product of the Year. Per Backblaze's announcement (April 27, 2026), the new B2 Neo tier targets media and post-production workloads — the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) award signals editorial validation in the M&E vertical, which has historically been the largest off-AWS object-storage market for video archives. For organizations evaluating self-hosted vs cloud archival of large media files, B2 Neo is now the highest-profile reference architecture choice in the space outside of hyperscaler proprietary tiers.