https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-snowball-user-guide/blob/master/doc_source/whatissnowball.md
AWS Snowball is a service that accelerates transferring large amounts of data into and out of AWS using physical storage devices, bypassing the Internet. Each AWS Snowball device type can transport data at faster-than internet speeds. This transport is done by shipping the data in the devices through a regional carrier. The devices are rugged shipping containers, complete with E Ink shipping labels.
With a Snowball, you can transfer hundreds of terabytes or petabytes of data between your on-premises data centers and Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). AWS Snowball uses Snowball appliances and provides powerful interfaces that you can use to create jobs, transfer data, and track the status of your jobs through to completion. By shipping your data in Snowballs, you can transfer large amounts of data at a significantly faster rate than if you were transferring that data over the Internet, saving you time and money.
Note There are many options for transferring your data into AWS. Snowball is intended for transferring large amounts of data. If you want to transfer less than 10 terabytes of data between your on-premises data centers and Amazon S3, Snowball might not be your most economical choice.
Snowball uses Snowball appliances shipped through your region's carrier. Each Snowball is protected by AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) and made physically rugged to secure and protect your data while the Snowball is in transit. In the US regions, Snowballs come in two sizes: 50 TB and 80 TB. All other regions have 80 TB Snowballs only.
