Cloud Storage

Introduction

Cloud storage is a fundamental component of cloud computing, providing scalable and on-demand storage resources that can be accessed over the internet.

Object storage is suitable for unstructured data and web applications, block storage provides low-level access for structured data, file storage enables shared file systems, and CDNs improve the performance and security of content delivery.

Object Storage

Object storage is a type of cloud storage that stores data as objects or files in a flat structure, each identified by a unique key (often referred to as a "universal resource identifier" or URI).
Objects typically consist of the data itself, metadata, and a unique identifier.
Object storage is highly scalable and suitable for storing vast amounts of unstructured data, such as images, videos, documents, and backups.
It's often used for web applications, content distribution, and data archival.
Popular object storage services include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage.

Block Storage

Block storage divides data into fixed-size blocks and stores them on individual storage devices.
Unlike object storage, it is used for structured data, such as databases, virtual machines, and operating systems.
Block storage provides high performance and low-latency access, making it suitable for applications that require direct, low-level access to storage, like databases and virtualization environments.
Cloud providers offer block storage services, such as Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store), Google Persistent Disks, and Azure Disk Storage.

File Storage

File storage offers a file-based approach to storage, where data is organized into a hierarchical structure of directories and files.
It is often used for shared file systems and is accessible over network protocols like SMB (Server Message Block) and NFS (Network File System).
File storage is valuable for workloads that require a shared and accessible file system, like user home directories, shared drives, and application data shared among multiple instances.
Cloud providers offer file storage services, such as Amazon EFS (Elastic File System), Google Cloud Filestore, and Azure Files.

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

CDNs are a network of distributed servers strategically placed in various geographical locations to optimize the delivery of web content and digital assets like images, videos, and web pages.
When a user requests content from a website, the CDN serves the content from the nearest server to reduce latency and improve load times.
CDNs not only enhance content delivery but also protect websites from DDoS attacks by distributing traffic and providing additional security features.
Leading CDN providers include Akamai, Cloudflare, and Amazon CloudFront.