{
  "slug": "minimum-storage-duration",
  "term": "Minimum storage duration",
  "aliases": [
    "minimum billable storage duration"
  ],
  "definition": "Minimum storage duration is a billing period for which a storage class can charge even when an object leaves the class earlier.",
  "note": "This is not a retention lock, a minimum recovery window or a promise of continued access. Deletion protection requires a separate control such as version-scoped Object Lock. [object-lock]\n\nThe documented Nearline/Coldline/Archive service lists 30, 90 and 365 days respectively. Early deletion or replacement can incur the remaining charge; Object Lifecycle Management class changes and Autoclass have exceptions. Versioning and soft delete also affect the accounting. [gcs-pricing]\n\nRules differ across services. S3 can charge the unelapsed minimum when a Lifecycle transition leaves a class early. Check the operation as well as the destination tier. [s3-lifecycle]",
  "status": "shipping",
  "advantages": [],
  "limitations": [],
  "supersedes": [],
  "supersededBy": [],
  "firstSeen": null,
  "lastSeen": null,
  "updated": "2026-10-23",
  "related": [
    "cold-archive",
    "hot-warm-cold",
    "minimum-billable-object-size",
    "object-lock"
  ],
  "citations": [
    {
      "id": "gcs-pricing",
      "title": "Google Cloud Storage pricing: minimum duration, early deletion and exceptions",
      "url": "https://cloud.google.com/storage/pricing#storage-pricing",
      "accessed": "2026-10-23"
    },
    {
      "id": "s3-lifecycle",
      "title": "Amazon S3: Lifecycle transitions and minimum-duration charges",
      "url": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/lifecycle-transition-general-considerations.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-23"
    },
    {
      "id": "object-lock",
      "title": "Amazon S3 Object Lock: object-version retention is distinct from billing",
      "url": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/object-lock.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-23"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": [
    "Billing semantics checked on 2026-10-23, not a price quote or a retention-policy recommendation."
  ]
}