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Nope. They aren’t even in the same city. For example, each of the AZs in us-west-2 are separated by about 50-60 miles. This doesn’t list all the locations, but

Nope. They aren’t even in the same city. For example, each of the AZs in us-west-2 are separated by about 50-60 miles. This doesn’t list all the locations, but is a good map to get an idea: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=50.95842700000002%2C4.130858999999987&spn=26.684562%2C56.25&t=m&msa=0&z=4&source=embed&ie=UTF8&mid=1m6v8XPxwp0Dx4THiakRKFkZwIGE https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=50.9584270000000...

fs111 8y ago
That map is incorrect: us-west-2a, 2b and 2c are not static names for the AZs. Every user gets their own mapping of which physical location is a, which one is b and which one is c. My us-west-2a may be your us-west-2c. They are not the same.
- gregsadetsky 8y ago
  Extremely interesting, thanks for this clarification. For those curious, it's documented here[0] -- search for "To ensure that resources are distributed across the Availability Zones for a region"... [0] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/using-regions-availability-zones.html#concepts-regions-availability-zones https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/using-re...
- jsjohnst 8y ago
  Yes, I know they pseudo randomize the allocations. That is irrelevant to my core point, that each AZ is not just separate networks in the same building or even adjacent buildings, but rather they are truly isolated by a non-insignificant distance of somewhere around 50mi on average.
  - Johnny555 8y ago
    It's a cool map, but I can't find any reference for the source of the data center locations. AWS purposely doesn't publish that information, and while I can believe it's possible to crowdsource the data by doing a little sleuthing (or working for certain vendors), it's hard to trust the map without knowing the sources.
    - jsjohnst 8y ago
      There’s a The Atlantic article[0] that explains how to source the data pretty easily if you are willing to put in the effort. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/amazon-web-services-data-center/423147/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/amazo...

fs111 8y ago

That map is incorrect: us-west-2a, 2b and 2c are not static names for the AZs. Every user gets their own mapping of which physical location is a, which one is b and which one is c. My us-west-2a may be your us-west-2c. They are not the same.

gregsadetsky 8y ago
Extremely interesting, thanks for this clarification. For those curious, it's documented here[0] -- search for "To ensure that resources are distributed across the Availability Zones for a region"... [0] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/using-regions-availability-zones.html#concepts-regions-availability-zones https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/using-re...
jsjohnst 8y ago
Yes, I know they pseudo randomize the allocations. That is irrelevant to my core point, that each AZ is not just separate networks in the same building or even adjacent buildings, but rather they are truly isolated by a non-insignificant distance of somewhere around 50mi on average.
- Johnny555 8y ago
  It's a cool map, but I can't find any reference for the source of the data center locations. AWS purposely doesn't publish that information, and while I can believe it's possible to crowdsource the data by doing a little sleuthing (or working for certain vendors), it's hard to trust the map without knowing the sources.
  - jsjohnst 8y ago
    There’s a The Atlantic article[0] that explains how to source the data pretty easily if you are willing to put in the effort. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/amazon-web-services-data-center/423147/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/amazo...