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Cloud Storage Types: Block, File, Object, Data Lake, and Warehouse Explained
A complete guide to storage types in cloud infrastructure including block storage, object storage, file storage, data lakes, and data warehouses with hardware, pricing, providers, and real-world applications.

Cloud Storage Types: Block, File, Object, Data Lake, and Warehouse Explained

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Cloud Storage Types in Cloud Infrastructure

Cloud computing provides different storage types designed for various workloads. Below is a breakdown of each type:

1. Block Storage

  • Hardware Used: SSDs, HDDs, NVMe drives
  • Pricing Unit: per GB/month
  • Major Providers & Products:
    • AWS: EBS
    • Azure: Disk Storage
    • GCP: Persistent Disk
    • OCI: Block Volume
    • IBM Cloud: Block Storage
    • VMware: vSAN
  • Average Pricing: $0.05 - $0.10 per GB/month
  • Real-World Applications: Databases, Virtual Machines, Boot Volumes

2. File Storage

  • Hardware Used: SSDs, HDDs, NAS devices
  • Pricing Unit: per GB/month
  • Major Providers & Products:
    • AWS: EFS
    • Azure: Files
    • GCP: Filestore
    • OCI: File Storage
    • IBM Cloud: File Storage
    • VMware: vSAN File Services
  • Average Pricing: $0.03 - $0.12 per GB/month
  • Real-World Applications: File sharing, content repositories, home directories

3. Object Storage

  • Hardware Used: SSDs, HDDs, Distributed cloud storage
  • Pricing Unit: per GB/month, sometimes per request
  • Major Providers & Products:
    • AWS: S3
    • Azure: Blob Storage
    • GCP: Cloud Storage
    • OCI: Object Storage
    • IBM Cloud: Object Storage
    • VMware: vSAN Object
  • Average Pricing: $0.01 - $0.025 per GB/month
  • Real-World Applications: Backups, archives, media storage, static web hosting

4. Data Lake

  • Hardware Used: Distributed storage clusters (HDD + SSD), cloud object storage
  • Pricing Unit: per GB/month
  • Major Providers & Products:
    • AWS: Lake Formation
    • Azure: Data Lake Storage
    • GCP: Data Lake
    • OCI: Data Lake
  • Average Pricing: $0.01 - $0.03 per GB/month
  • Real-World Applications: Big data analytics, machine learning, IoT data aggregation

5. Data Warehouse

  • Hardware Used: Columnar storage on SSD/HDD clusters
  • Pricing Unit: per TB/month or per query
  • Major Providers & Products:
    • AWS: Redshift
    • Azure: Synapse Analytics
    • GCP: BigQuery
    • OCI: Autonomous Data Warehouse
    • IBM: Db2 Warehouse
    • Snowflake
  • Average Pricing: $20 - $50 per TB/month
  • Real-World Applications: Business intelligence, reporting, analytics on structured data

6. Archive Storage

  • Hardware Used: HDDs, tape-based cloud storage
  • Pricing Unit: per GB/month
  • Major Providers & Products:
    • AWS: Glacier
    • Azure: Archive Blob Storage
    • GCP: Coldline
    • OCI: Archive Storage
    • IBM Cloud: Archive Storage
  • Average Pricing: $0.004 - $0.01 per GB/month
  • Real-World Applications: Long-term backups, compliance, rarely accessed data

Quick Comparison of Cloud Storage Types

Storage Type Pricing (Avg) Typical Use Cases
Block Storage $0.05 - $0.10 per GB/month Databases, Virtual Machines, Boot Volumes
File Storage $0.03 - $0.12 per GB/month File sharing, Content Repositories, Home Directories
Object Storage $0.01 - $0.025 per GB/month Backups, Archives, Media Storage, Static Websites
Data Lake $0.01 - $0.03 per GB/month Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning, IoT Data Aggregation
Data Warehouse $20 - $50 per TB/month Business Intelligence, Reporting, Analytics on Structured Data
Archive Storage $0.004 - $0.01 per GB/month Long-term Backups, Compliance, Rarely Accessed Data

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