Amazon Web Services (AWS) has rolled out a new feature for Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) that simplifies data replication and testing: EBS Volume Clones. The capability allows users to create instant, crash-consistent copies of EBS volumes within the same Availability Zone, enabling faster data access and improved workflow efficiency.
Instant Volume Duplication, Minimal Latency
With Volume Clones, AWS customers can now make point-in-time copies of their EBS volumes in seconds using a single API call or console click. According to AWS, these cloned volumes are available almost instantly, offering single-digit millisecond latency.
This makes the feature particularly useful for developers who need to replicate production data into testing environments or quickly spin up temporary instances for development. Unlike EBS snapshots, which store data in Amazon S3 for long-term durability, clones are designed for speed and local access rather than backups.
Simplifying Containerized Workflows
Volume Clones also integrate directly with the Amazon EBS Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver, allowing Kubernetes and other containerized workloads to take advantage of instant cloning. This integration helps teams accelerate CI/CD pipelines and streamline data management without complex setup.
How Volume Clones Work
The cloned volume mirrors the original at the moment of creation — known as a point-in-time copy — while maintaining crash consistency. For full application-level consistency, AWS recommends pausing I/O operations before cloning.
Administrators can use commands like pg_start_backup() in PostgreSQL or xfs_freeze on Linux to ensure the data state is stable. Cloned volumes operate independently and incur normal EBS storage costs until deleted.
Recommended Use Cases and Limitations
Volume Clones are ideal for:
- Rapidly provisioning test or staging environments
- Creating temporary database copies for analytics or development
- Reducing downtime when testing new deployments
However, they should complement, not replace, traditional EBS snapshots. Snapshots remain the preferred choice for long-term backup due to their 11-nines durability and incremental S3 storage.
There are also a few limitations:
- Clones can only be created from encrypted source volumes
- They must exist within the same Availability Zone as the source
- The size of a clone must be equal to or greater than the original volume
To manage costs, AWS advises setting up automation to delete unused clones over time.
Availability and Pricing
The feature supports all EBS volume types and is available across all AWS commercial Regions, selected Local Zones, and AWS GovCloud (US).
Pricing includes a one-time fee per GiB of data on the source volume at creation, plus standard EBS charges for storage of the cloned volume.