Picking the right cloud storage type for your application

Cloud storage is generally defined as where you save the data and files generated by your application on the cloud. Some storage types have to be attached to a compute node before it can be accessed while some are accessed over the public internet a private network connection for security reasons. For cloud services that are not private the providers typically host, manage and ensure security of the cloud storage being consumed. Cloud storage services enable you to scale easily while also allowing you to pay for what you use and are usually measured in Gigabytes[GB]. There are about 4 broad classifications of cloud storage[direct attached, file storage, block storage and object storage] and it is essential to understand your use case so as to minimize cost because not all storage types are equal with prices generally being determined by read and write speed. Let's go through the different types together

• Direct Attached Storage: This is the least popular because it is not generally available to be consumed because it is mostly what is used on the server nodes to house the operating system of the server. It is typically only used by the host server because it cannot be used by other server nodes

• File Storage: This is also know as NFS [Network File System ] storage and it is a storage type that is mounted on the compute nodes through an Ethernet network which makes it slower when compared to direct attached and block storage but unlike direct attached storage file storage can be shared by two or more server nodes simultaneously. It is probably the most simple and straight forward of all data types because it stores data in a hierarchical order something desktop users would be familiar with

• Block Storage: This is the fastest storage type making it the most expensive because it’s connected to the compute nodes with fast fiber optic cables making its read and write speed faster and more dependable than file storage. This makes block storage perfect for applications that require high disk speed

• Object Storage: This is the cheapest and by default the slowest of the storage types it’s mainly used for application in which disk speed isn’t a priority because it is accessed via an API [Application Program Interface] unlike file and block storage which are attached to a compute node and is best used for unstructured data types like images, videos, logs backups and more

In conclusion the storage type you get to choose depends on your type of application. For applications with structured data like financial applications you’ll need to make use of file and object storage type while for applications like photo sharing applications or video sharing applications make use of object storage which helps minimize operational cost