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AWS Regions & Partitions

Disclaimer: The information provided about AWS regions and partitions is intended for general reference and may not reflect the most current configurations, availability, or compliance standards. AWS regularly updates its services, regions, and partitions to meet evolving customer needs. For the most accurate and up-to-date details, consult the AWS Regional Services List, AWS Documentation, or the AWS Management Console. Availability and features may vary based on your account configuration and region.

AWS organizes its services into various regions and partitions to meet specific use cases, including regulatory requirements, security, and geographic preferences. This guide provides an overview of AWS partitions and their associated regions, customers, and use cases.

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AWS Partitions

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1. AWS Commercial - Partition (aws)

The aws partition, also called the “Commercial” partition, is the largest and most widely used part of AWS, serving commercial customers globally.

• Purpose: Supports general-purpose workloads, including websites, applications, databases, and enterprise software.

• Customers: Businesses, individuals, and institutions worldwide.

• Regions:

  • North America: US East (N. Virginia, Ohio), US West (N. California, Oregon), Canada (Central)

  • Europe: Ireland, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Paris, Stockholm

  • Asia-Pacific: Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Osaka

  • Middle East: Bahrain, UAE

  • Africa: Cape Town

  • South America: São Paulo

• Security & Compliance: Certifications like ISO, SOC 1, 2, 3, HIPAA, and GDPR.

• Use Cases: E-commerce, SaaS applications, business intelligence, big data, machine learning, and enterprise software.

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2. AWS China (Mainland) - Partition (aws-cn)

The aws-cn partition is an isolated environment specifically for the People’s Republic of China.

• Purpose: Operates under China’s cybersecurity and data residency laws.

• Customers: Organizations needing compliance with China’s regulations.

• Regions:

  • Beijing: Operated by Sinnet.

  • Ningxia: Operated by NWCD.

• Security & Compliance: Compliance with Chinese regulations like MLPS and the Cybersecurity Law.

• Use Cases: Hosting services in China with adherence to local laws.

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3. AWS GovCloud (US) - Partition (aws-us-gov)

AWS GovCloud is designed for U.S. government agencies and customers with strict compliance requirements.

• Purpose: Handles sensitive but unclassified or moderately classified data.

• Regions: GovCloud (US-East) and GovCloud (US-West).

• Compliance: Meets U.S. government standards like FedRAMP, ITAR, and DoD SRG.

• Customers: U.S. government agencies, contractors, and regulated industries.

• Use Cases: Defense, healthcare, and financial workloads requiring high-security compliance.

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4. AWS ISO - Partition (aws-iso)

The aws-iso partition is designed for highly regulated U.S. government workloads.

• Purpose: Supports workloads needing stringent security and compliance standards beyond GovCloud.

• Customers: U.S. government agencies and contractors handling sensitive data.

• Security: Meets higher standards than GovCloud, such as FedRAMP High and DoD SRG.

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5. AWS ISO-B - Partition (aws-iso-b)

The aws-iso-b partition handles Top Secret or highly classified information.

• Purpose: Serves U.S. national security and defense agencies requiring maximum security.

• Customers: Restricted to specific U.S. government entities.

• Security: Adheres to the strictest compliance frameworks, including DoD SRG Levels 5 and 6.

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6. AWS Secret - Partition (aws-us-secret)

The aws-us-secret partition is designed for handling Secret-level classified information.

• Purpose: Supports workloads requiring Secret-level security.

• Customers: U.S. government agencies involved in defense and intelligence.

• Security & Compliance: Meets DoD SRG Level 5 and other U.S. standards.

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7. AWS Top Secret - Partition (aws-us-topsecret)

The aws-us-topsecret partition is designed for Top Secret classified information.

• Purpose: Handles the most sensitive and classified workloads.

• Customers: U.S. intelligence, defense, and national security agencies.

• Security & Compliance: Meets DoD SRG Level 6 for Top Secret data.

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Comparison of AWS Partitions

Each AWS partition is tailored to meet the specific security, compliance, and operational needs of its customers, from global commercial enterprises to highly classified government workloads.