Migrate to/from Backblaze B2 ($6/TB)

What is Backblaze B2?

Backblaze B2 is the S3-compatible object-storage tier from Backblaze, the consumer backup company that pioneered $6/month unlimited personal backup back in 2008. B2 launched in 2015 specifically to undercut AWS S3 — at $6/TB/month storage and free egress up to 3× your average monthly storage, it's roughly 80 % cheaper than S3 Standard for typical access patterns. Backblaze's 10 GB free tier is one of the most generous in object storage (no time limit, no card required for signup), and the API is fully S3-compatible — meaning B2 works as a drop-in destination for any tool built for S3, including Veeam, MSP360, Synology, Cyberduck, and rclone.

B2's pricing model has two unusual edges. First, the 3× free egress rule: you can pull up to 3 TB out for every 1 TB stored without paying a cent in transfer fees, and only pay $0.01/GB beyond that — far less than AWS S3's $0.05–$0.09/GB. Second, B2 has no minimum retention period (unlike Wasabi's 90 days) and no monthly minimum charge — making it the most flexible object storage for high-churn or sub-1-TB workloads. Combined with B2's 10 TB max file size (achieved via multipart upload), it's ideal as a backup target, video archive, and budget-friendly DR cloud. CloudsLinker connects via B2's S3-compatible API for full multipart parallel transfer speed.

Key features of Backblaze B2

10 GB free, no card required

First 10 GB of B2 storage is permanently free with no time limit and no credit card required at signup. Useful for testing migrations and small archive workloads.

$6/TB/month, no minimums

Storage at $6/TB/month after the free tier (=$0.005/GB). No 1-TB monthly minimum (unlike Wasabi). No 90-day retention penalty. No class-A/class-B request pricing.

Free egress: 3× stored volume

Each month you can egress up to 3× your average stored data for free. 1 TB stored → 3 TB free egress. Beyond that, $0.01/GB — still 5–9× cheaper than AWS S3.

10 TB max file size

Up from B2's original 5 GB cap, individual files now go up to 10 TB via multipart upload — among the highest in any object storage tier.

Native + S3-compatible APIs

B2 exposes both its original Native API and a fully S3-compatible API. CloudsLinker uses the S3-compatible endpoint for maximum tool interoperability.

6 global regions

us-west-001/002/004, us-east-005, eu-central-003. CloudsLinker connects to any region via its specific S3 endpoint.

Why connect Backblaze B2 to CloudsLinker

CloudsLinker connects to Backblaze B2 using the S3-compatible API: Application Key ID + Application Key + S3 endpoint (region-specific, e.g. s3.us-west-002.backblazeb2.com). Once connected, transfers run server-to-server with multipart parallel uploads — bypassing B2's 500 MB web-console upload cap entirely. The connector handles all six B2 regions, supports both buckets created via the Native API and via the S3-compatible API, and works for B2 as source, destination, or cross-region replication.

What you can do with Backblaze B2 on CloudsLinker

S3-style multipart transfers

Migrate from S3, Wasabi, R2, or GCS into B2 at full multipart-parallel speed. CloudsLinker uses the S3-compatible API endpoint, not the legacy Native API.

No bandwidth from your side

B2 transfers run on CloudsLinker's servers. The 500 MB web-console upload limit doesn't apply — you can push 10 TB files via the API.

Scheduled & incremental sync

Hourly / daily / weekly jobs with delta mode. Especially valuable on B2 because there's no minimum-retention penalty for short-lived data.

Filter by prefix, size, modified date

Migrate only <code>s3://bucket/projects/2026/</code>, skip files > 100 GB, or sync only this week's changes.

Common Backblaze B2 transfer scenarios

Cheap off-site DR for AWS S3 / Azure / GCS

S3 cross-region replication keeps you in AWS. For real provider-independent DR, schedule a CloudsLinker incremental from your primary S3 bucket to a B2 bucket — at $6/TB plus 3× free egress, a 10 TB DR copy costs ~$60/month with no surprise bills. Object Lock immutability available on B2 for ransomware-resistant retention.

Migrate Wasabi → B2 if storage is sub-1-TB or churn-heavy

Wasabi's 1 TB monthly minimum and 90-day retention penalty make it expensive for small or high-churn workloads. CloudsLinker copies your Wasabi bucket into B2 in a single multipart-parallel job, typically saturating Wasabi's egress (which is free if egress ≤ stored).

Veeam / MSP360 / Synology backup target

B2 is a default S3-compatible target for major backup vendors. Use CloudsLinker to migrate existing backup repositories between B2 regions, or to mirror them to a second cloud (Wasabi, R2, S3) for belt-and-suspenders DR.

Large-file archive: video masters, scientific data, ML datasets

B2's 10 TB per-file ceiling and free 3× egress make it ideal for huge static assets that occasionally need redownload. CloudsLinker handles the initial multipart upload from S3 / R2 / NAS sources without local storage as an intermediate.

Personal cloud archive on the free 10 GB tier

Schedule a CloudsLinker weekly sync from Google Drive / Dropbox / iCloud Drive into a B2 bucket, filtered to only specific folders. Stay within the 10 GB free tier indefinitely with no card on file — a simple secondary backup that costs nothing.

How to connect Backblaze B2 to CloudsLinker

B2 authenticates with S3-style Application Key ID + Application Key, plus a region-specific S3-compatible endpoint URL.

Before you start

Create a dedicated Application Key scoped to specific buckets — never use the Master Application Key for third-party tools:

Sign in to https://secure.backblaze.com.
Go to App Keys in the left navigation.
Click Add a New Application Key.
Configure:
- Name — e.g. cloudslinker-backup
- Allow access to bucket(s) — select the specific bucket(s) you want CloudsLinker to read / write
- Type of Access — Read and Write (for migration jobs); Read Only (for source-only)
Click Create New Key. Copy the keyID and applicationKey — Backblaze shows the application key only once.

Connection steps

In CloudsLinker, click Add Cloud → choose Backblaze B2.
Enter a display name (e.g. “B2 us-west-002”).
Paste the Application Key ID (as Access Key) and Application Key (as Secret Key).
Enter the S3-compatible Endpoint matching your bucket’s region:
- s3.us-west-001.backblazeb2.com
- s3.us-west-002.backblazeb2.com
- s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com
- s3.us-east-005.backblazeb2.com
- s3.eu-central-003.backblazeb2.com
- The exact endpoint for your bucket appears in the Backblaze console under the bucket details.
Click Confirm — CloudsLinker validates with ListBuckets and shows the connection as ready.

Revoke access

To revoke CloudsLinker’s key later: https://secure.backblaze.com → App Keys → find the key → Delete. You can rotate by creating a new key first and updating CloudsLinker before deleting the old one.

Backblaze B2 upload & download limits you should know

B2’s limits are generous compared to Wasabi or AWS S3, particularly the lack of minimum retention and minimum monthly charges:

Maximum file size: 10 TB via multipart upload (raised from the original 5 GB Native-API ceiling).
Single PUT max: 5 GB — beyond that, multipart is required.
Multipart parts: 5 MB minimum, 5 GB maximum, ~10,000 parts max per file.
Web console upload max: 500 MB. Doesn’t apply to API/SDK access — CloudsLinker uses the API and ignores this cap entirely.
Free tier: 10 GB of storage permanently free, no credit card required.
Storage pricing: $6/TB/month ($0.005/GB) above the free tier. No minimum monthly charge.
Free egress: up to 3× your average monthly stored volume. Beyond that, $0.01/GB (5–9× cheaper than AWS S3 egress).
No minimum retention period — delete after 1 second, billed for 1 second.
API rate limits: B2 throttles aggressive patterns but does not publish exact numbers. CloudsLinker handles back-off automatically.
Object Lock retention: supported, with WORM compliance for ransomware-resistant backups.
Lifecycle rules: B2 supports lifecycle policies for auto-delete and version pruning — useful for managing backup retention without external automation.
Bucket / object count: no published cap.

Sources: Backblaze: Cloud Storage Large Files, Backblaze B2 Pricing, Backblaze B2: Transaction Pricing, Backblaze B2: Web UI Limitations.

Backblaze B2 + CloudsLinker — Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between B2 Native API and S3-compatible API?

B2's Native API came first; the S3-compatible endpoint was added later for ecosystem compatibility. Functionally, both reach the same buckets and objects. CloudsLinker uses the S3-compatible API because it interoperates with the same code path used for AWS S3, Wasabi, and R2 connections.

What's the maximum file size on B2?

10 TB per file, achieved via multipart upload (5 MB–5 GB per part, up to ~10,000 parts). The 500 MB cap you may have seen applies only to uploads through the B2 web console — the API has no such limit, and CloudsLinker uses the API.

Are there minimum retention or monthly minimum charges?

No. B2 has no minimum storage duration (unlike Wasabi's 90 days) and no monthly minimum charge (unlike Wasabi's 1 TB). Delete a file after 1 hour, you're charged for 1 hour. Store 1 GB, you're billed for 1 GB. This makes B2 ideal for high-churn or sub-1-TB workloads.

How does the free 3× egress allowance work?

Each month, you can egress up to 3× your average stored volume at no charge. Example: average 5 TB stored over the month → 15 TB free egress. Beyond that limit, egress is $0.01/GB. Most backup / archive workloads stay under the cap permanently.

Are class-A / class-B operation fees charged on B2?

B2 has a transaction-pricing model but it's far cheaper than AWS S3 or R2 for typical workloads — and the first 2,500 class-C transactions per day are free. CloudsLinker uses efficient multipart upload sizes to keep operation counts low.

Are my B2 credentials safe with CloudsLinker?

Yes. Application Key ID and Application Key are encrypted at rest with AES-256 and only decrypted in-memory inside the active transfer worker. We recommend creating a B2 Application Key scoped to a specific bucket — never use the Master Application Key.

Does CloudsLinker support B2 Object Lock?

Yes. Object Lock retention dates are preserved when copying between Object-Lock-aware providers (B2, S3, R2 with Object Lock, Wasabi). CloudsLinker reads the retention metadata and re-applies it on the destination.

How fast can CloudsLinker push data into B2?

Typical multipart-parallel ingress to B2 is 1–3 TB/day per connection, depending on source-cloud egress speed. From cloud sources (S3, Wasabi, R2) the bottleneck is the source's egress; from API-throttled sources (Box, OneDrive) the bottleneck is the source-side rate limit.

Can I migrate between two B2 regions?

Yes. Connect each region as a separate CloudsLinker cloud (different S3 endpoint per region) and run a bucket-to-bucket copy. Cross-region transfer counts against the source region's egress (still 3× free, then $0.01/GB).

Is this an official Backblaze partnership?

No. CloudsLinker is a third-party tool that uses B2's S3-compatible API under your Application Key. Revoke access anytime from the Backblaze console → App Keys → delete the key.

Backblaze B2 transfer guides

Step-by-step walkthroughs for moving data to and from Backblaze B2.

Stop Overpaying for Photo Storage: How to Archive iCloud Photos in Backblaze B2

Move iCloud Photos to Backblaze B2 for low-cost archival storage. 3 methods: web upload, CLI tools (b2/rclone), and direct cloud-to-cloud …

Ultimate Guide to Migrating Files from Backblaze B2 to IDrive E2

Navigate the transition from Backblaze B2 to IDrive E2 with our expert guide. Discover efficient methods for transferring your files …

Conclusion

Backblaze B2 sets the floor on object-storage pricing — $6/TB, 10 GB free with no card, no minimums, and 3× free egress make it the most flexible budget object store for backup, archive, and DR workloads. CloudsLinker's S3-compatible connector pushes data in or out of B2 at multipart-parallel speed, ignores the 500 MB web-console limit, and handles all 6 B2 regions. Connect with Application Key + endpoint and run your first migration in minutes.

Start Your Free Backblaze B2 Transfer