Unexpected S3 Latency Spikes When Accessing Large Objects via API

CarolBrown — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:49:58 GMT

Heyy!

I'm seeing some latency issues now and then when I'm pulling down big files from AWS S3 using the SDK.

Generally, things are smooth, but every so often, getting a 5–10 GB object takes a lot longer than it should, sometimes adding several minutes to the process.

Here's what I've seen:

The problem appears to be sporadic, and it doesn't seem to stem from any network issues on our side.

We are employing multi-part downloads, which means a single massive transfer isn't the culprit behind the timeouts.

S3's CloudWatch metrics don't immediately reveal any signs of throttling.

The issue is widespread, affecting numerous regions and accounts.

We have given it a shot.

Using different versions of the Software Development Kit (SDK)

Testing with both the SDK and the command line interface.

Verifying IAM permissions and encryption configurations.

Has anyone else experienced latency spikes with S3 when dealing with sizable objects?

To diagnose and enhance S3 access times, what monitoring tools, configurations, or best practices are suggested?

topic Unexpected S3 Latency Spikes When Accessing Large Objects via API in Cloud Security

Unexpected S3 Latency Spikes When Accessing Large Objects via API