Snowflake Storage for Iceberg from an AWS Perspective
Original Japanese article : AWSから見たSnowflake Storage for Iceberg Introduction I'm Aki, an AWS Community Builder ( @jitepengin ). On November 4, 2026, backups for Snowflake Storage for Apache Iceberg tables became generally available (GA) in Snowflake. Snowflake Storage for Iceberg itself was released as a preview in April 2026 and became GA in June. It lets you keep the data of Snowflake-managed…
AWS Snowflake Storage for Apache Iceberg tables became generally available in November 2026, following a preview launch in April 2026. The feature allows Snowflake-managed Iceberg tables to be stored in Snowflake's managed storage, rather than in an external S3 bucket. This contrasts with traditional managed Iceberg storage, which required users to create and manage their own S3 bucket, configure an external volume, and set up an IAM role for Snowflake access.
Snowflake Storage simplifies the process by allowing users to specify the "SNOWFLAKE_MANAGED" external volume when creating a table, eliminating the need for manual S3 bucket creation and IAM role setup. The data and metadata files for Snowflake-managed Iceberg tables are still managed by Snowflake, but the storage format remains compatible with the Iceberg standard.
This compatibility enables external engines like Spark and Trino to read and write Iceberg tables through Snowflake's Horizon Catalog REST API. From an AWS perspective, Snowflake Storage for Iceberg presents several differences compared to using a user-managed S3 bucket. The primary distinctions include: 1. Catalog ownership: With Snowflake Storage, the catalog is managed by Snowflake, while external volume setups use the user's own S3 catalog.
2. Data fail-safe: Snowflake Storage provides fail-safe protection for permanent tables, whereas external volume storage does not. 3. Table type support: Snowflake Storage supports both permanent and transient tables, while external volume storage only supports transient tables. 4. Storage charges: Snowflake Storage charges are billed through Snowflake, while external volume storage charges are incurred through AWS API request charges.
5. Compaction: Compaction operations are not charged when using Snowflake Storage, while additional charges may apply with external volume storage depending on the workload. 6. Orphan file cleanup: Snowflake automatically handles orphan file cleanup for data stored in Snowflake Storage, while users must manage the cleanup process for external volume storage.
From an AWS management standpoint, Snowflake Storage's files reside on AWS infrastructure but are not physically stored in a user's S3 bucket. This means that AWS users must adjust their existing S3-based security configurations, such as bucket policies and IAM roles, to accommodate Snowflake Storage. Overall, Snowflake Storage for Iceberg offers a managed alternative to traditional S3-based Iceberg storage within the AWS ecosystem, simplifying data management and reducing the operational burden on users.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
