Overview
Block storage volumes (e.g., Amazon EBS, Google Persistent Disk) provide raw storage that can be formatted with a file system and used by virtual machines. Unlike instance store (ephemeral) storage, block storage volumes are persistent and survive instance termination.
Key Features
- Persistence: Data remains intact even if the instance is stopped or deleted.
- Snapshots: Point-in-time backups of the volume's data.
- Performance Options: Different types (SSD, HDD) and performance levels (IOPS) can be selected.
- Elasticity: Volumes can often be resized or their performance changed while they are in use.
Use Cases
- Database storage.
- Boot volumes for operating systems.
- Applications requiring high-performance random I/O.