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Storage - Block, Object File Storage

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Nefal K
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22 views

Storage - Block, Object File Storage

Uploaded by

Nefal K
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Block Storage, Object Storage and File Storage

Block storage and object storage serve different purposes in cloud infrastructure.

Choosing between them depends on the specific needs of your application, including performance
requirements, scalability, cost, and data management preferences.

Block storage divides data into fixed-sized blocks and stores them separately, each with a unique identifier.
It is typically used in SAN (Storage Area Network) environments and can be managed at the OS level.

Object storage stores data as objects, which include the data itself, metadata, and a unique identifier. It's
designed for scalability and is used for large amounts of unstructured data.

File storage, also known as file-level storage, manages data as files within a hierarchical structure of
directories and subdirectories. It's akin to traditional file systems used on personal computers and
networked file servers.

Use Cases in Cloud Infrastructure

Block Storage – Ideal for applications requiring high performance and low latency, such as databases,
virtual machines, and transactional systems. Examples include AWS Elastic Block Store (EBS) and Azure
Managed Disks.

Object Storage – Suitable for storing large amounts of unstructured data, such as backups, media files, and
big data analytics. Examples include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage.

File Storage – Home directories, shared network drives, content repositories, and collaborative file-sharing
environments.

Comparison

Feature Block Storage Object Storage File Storage


Objects (data + metadata +
Data Structure Fixed-sized blocks Hierarchical file and directory
identifier)
Via file systems, OS-level
Access HTTP APIs (REST, S3) Network protocols (NFS, SMB)
protocols
Performance High performance, low latency Higher latency, lower IOPS Moderate performance
Scalability Limited scalability Highly scalable Limited scalability
Built-in data replication and
Durability Managed through redundancy Managed by file system
durability
Databases, VMs, email Backup, archival, big data, Home directories, shared
Use Cases
servers, transactional systems multimedia storage, web apps drives
Requires file system and Simplified management with Requires file system
Management
partition management metadata management
Typically higher due to More cost-effective for large data
Cost Moderate cost
performance needs volumes

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