Block Storage

Block Storage is a block data storage solution that is made possible through a method that divides content into fixed-size data blocks. These blocks are linked to your instances, and are stored in disk arrays. Your data is distributed across disks separate from your machine. Each data block is treated as a separate unit and receives a unique identifier. This way, you can control your storage capacity by adding disks to suit your needs, while maintaining control over your infrastructure’s security and performance.

With its block storage system, the Block Storage solution is ideal for storing large volumes of data. The flexibility of this storage method allows you to add disks and distribute data in blocks, effectively managing the space you have, while minimising wasted resources. What’s more, the speed and redundancy of this system make it easier to manipulate data. Separate block storage simplifies the configuration and modification of your information, while ensuring an optimal user experience with high availability.

Cloud block storage also guarantees additional resilience, thanks to the redundancy of our block storage system. This ensures that your data is preserved in the event that one of the disks or machines fail. You get high performance and flexibility for all types of applications.

So the main advantages of the Block Storage solution are high availability, high performance, and flexibility.

Although both solutions are cloud storage-based, they differ in method and use. The Block Storage solution divides data, in an unstructured format, into equal-sized volumes in the form of blocks. Object storage breaks them down into small, separate units, called objects, and links them to the associated metadata. As a result, uses differ depending on the storage mode. Block storage is mainly used for applications that require fast access with high performance, such as relational databases, file systems and virtual machines. An object storage solution is easier to manage and is designed for large-scale storage and unstructured data (images, audio, videos), content distribution, and online backups. Either of these solutions will be suitable depending on your desired storage method usage, type of application, the user’s proficiency level, and the features you need.

Cloud block storage is a persistent storage system with triple data replication for added resilience. You can also capture your Block Storage volumes with the Volume Snapshot solution. By taking a “snapshot” at a specific time of all the data contained in your Block Storage, you can fully restore it from this backup, if required. OVHcloud’s block storage system is redundant by default, so you can ensure the availability and integrity of the data stored on your Block Storage solution. Compute instances are also compatible with the vRack private network, giving you additional security. This allows you to create a complex private infrastructure on an international scale, across multiple datacentres, in an isolated private network.

A block storage solution offers a wide range of uses. Here are some examples of the features and resources offered by the Block Storage solution.

Containerised applications: Implement a persistent storage solution with block storage. Create a resilient and secure infrastructure with triple data replication. 

Critical applications: With its high fault tolerance, redundancy, and high performance, block storage is the ideal solution for the most critical applications, such as transactional applications, and those that require I/O-intensive access, such as analytical or data processing applications.

Hosting relational databases: Relational databases, such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, often use block storage due to its fast performance and direct access to data blocks.

There are several cloud storage solutions and methods. 

Object Storage: ideal for unstructured data (multimedia, backups, archives). These are stored as objects, all linked with metadata. This solution offers unlimited storage on demand, accessible via the S3 API.

Block Storage: ideal for applications that require direct access to data. These are divided into fixed volume blocks. This solution allows you to create storage volumes that can be used as additional disks. Triple data replication offers optimal security.

File Storage: perfect for applications that require shared access to data. This solution offers a shared file system that can be accessed by several virtual machine instances.

One of these options is sure to be the data storage solution that best suits your needs.