What is RPO/RTO guarantee?
Here is how OCI Archive Storage works for your long-term needs:
Archive Storage is designed for data that you rarely need to look at but are legally or operationally required to keep (backups, audit logs, or historical records).
Cost: At approximately $0.0026 per GB/month, it is about 1/10th the cost of the Standard "Hot" tier.
Durability: It shares the same 11 nines (99.999999999%) durability as standard storage, achieved by replicating your data across multiple separate fault domains or data centers.
Capacity: Like all object storage, it is virtually unlimited. You can store a few megabytes or several petabytes without needing to provision hardware.
Unlike "Hot" storage, where you can download a file instantly, Archive Storage is kept "offline" to save energy and cost.
Restoration Process: To read an archived file, you must first issue a Restore request.
Time to First Byte (TTFB): In 2026, OCI guarantees that your data will be ready for download within one hour of the request.
Access Window: Once restored, the data becomes "Hot" for a temporary window (you can choose between 1 and 240 hours) before it automatically settles back into the archive.
Archive Storage includes several features specifically for regulated industries (Finance, Healthcare, Government):
Retention Rules (WORM): You can set "Write Once, Read Many" (WORM) policies. For example, you can lock a bucket so that no one—not even an administrator—can delete or modify the data for a set period (e.g., 7 years).
Encryption: All data is encrypted at rest by default using AES-256. You can use Oracle-managed keys or bring your own keys (BYOK) via the OCI Vault.
| Feature | Standard (Hot) | Archive (Cold) |
| Access Speed | Instant (Milliseconds) | ~1 Hour (to restore) |
| Cost (Monthly) | ~$0.0255 / GB | ~$0.0026 / GB |
| Min. Retention | None | 90 Days* |
| Common Use | Active Apps, Media Streaming | Backups, Legal Compliance |
Note on 90-Day Retention: If you delete or overwrite an object in the Archive tier before it has been there for 90 days, you will still be charged for the full 90-day duration. It is truly meant for long-term "set and forget" storage.
In 2026, the most efficient way to use Archive Storage is through Lifecycle Management Policies. You don't have to manually move files:
You upload logs to a Standard bucket.
You set a policy: "Move any file older than 30 days to Archive."
You set a second policy: "Delete any file in Archive older than 7 years."OCI handles the heavy lifting in the background, ensuring you always pay the lowest possible price.