As cloud computing continues to gain popularity, it's important to choose the right storage solution to ensure your data is safe and accessible. AWS EBS, Azure Disk, and Google Persistent Disk are three of the most popular cloud-native storage solutions. In this blog post, we'll compare the three solutions to determine which one is the best for your business.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Block Store (EBS)
AWS EBS is a reliable and scalable block storage solution that's designed for use with EC2 instances. EBS volumes can be attached to EC2 instances, allowing you to store data that persists beyond the lifespan of your instances. EBS offers a range of storage options, including General Purpose SSD, Provisioned IOPS SSD, Throughput Optimized HDD, and Cold HDD.
Features
AWS EBS is a feature-rich storage solution, providing the following features:
- Snapshots and replication
- Volume resizing
- Encryption at rest
- Multi-Availability Zone (AZ) deployments
Performance
AWS EBS is designed for high-performance workloads, offering low-latency storage with low I/O variability. Depending on the selected volume type, AWS EBS can deliver up to 64,000 IOPS and 1,000 MB/sec of throughput.
Microsoft Azure Disk
Microsoft Azure Disk is a block storage solution that's designed for virtual machines (VMs). Azure Disk offers two types of disks: managed and unmanaged disks. Managed disks are a simpler option, providing automatic management of storage accounts, while unmanaged disks provide greater flexibility.
Features
Azure Disk is packed with features, which include the following:
- Virtual machine disk sizes up to 32 TiB
- Replication and snapshots
- Encryption at rest
- Put and get access controls
Performance
Azure Disk provides low latency, compared to other cloud-native storage solutions, with a maximum of 80,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) and 1,600 MB/s throughput.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Persistent Disk
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Persistent Disk is a high-performance block storage solution that's designed for use with Google Compute Engine (GCE) instances. Persistent Disk is available in two types: Standard Hard Disk Drive and SSD Persistent Disk.
Features
GCP Persistent Disk offers several features, including:
- Automatic snapshotting and replication
- Encryption at rest
- Multi-AZ deployment
- Real-time data integrity verification
Performance
GCP Persistent Disk provides low-latency storage with a maximum of 330,000 IOPS and 10,800 MB/s throughput.
Comparison
Cost
The cost of the cloud-native storage solutions can vary depending on the type of storage you choose. Based on a comparison of the "General Purpose SSD" version of each vendor's product:
| Vendor | Storage Cost |
|---|---|
| AWS EBS | $0.10 per GB per month |
| Azure Disk | $0.138 per GB per month |
| GCP Persistent Disk | $0.17 per GB per month |
Performance
When it comes to performance, Google Cloud Platform's Persistent Disk is the clear winner. GCP Persistent Disk provides the highest IOPS and throughput of all three solutions, making it ideal for high-performance workloads.
| Vendor | Max IOPS | Max throughput (MB/s) |
|---|---|---|
| AWS EBS | 64,000 | 1,000 |
| Azure Disk | 80,000 | 1,600 |
| GCP Persistent Disk | 330,000 | 10,800 |
Features
All three solutions offer a range of features, including snapshots, encryption at rest, and multi-AZ deployments. However, each platform has unique features that might be appealing to different users.
Conclusion
AWS EBS, Azure Disk, and Google Persistent Disk are all solid choices when it comes to cloud-native storage solutions. While each storage solution has unique advantages, Google Cloud Platform's Persistent Disk provides the highest performance for high-performance workloads. However, the higher cost of GCP Persistent Disk might not be suitable for some users. Ultimately, it's important to consider your business needs and budget before choosing a cloud-native storage solution.