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What are the key differences between object storage and block storage in the cloud?
Asked on Feb 16, 2026
Answer
Object storage and block storage are two fundamental cloud storage models, each suited to different use cases and performance characteristics. Object storage is ideal for unstructured data and offers scalability and metadata capabilities, while block storage is used for structured data requiring high performance and low latency.
Example Concept: Object storage, such as Amazon S3 or Azure Blob Storage, stores data as discrete units called objects, each with its own metadata and unique identifier, making it highly scalable and suitable for large datasets, backups, and media files. Block storage, like Amazon EBS or Azure Managed Disks, divides data into fixed-size blocks, which are managed by the operating system, providing fast access and performance for databases and applications that require frequent read/write operations.
Additional Comment:
- Object storage is accessed via APIs and is often used for data lakes, archives, and content delivery networks.
- Block storage is typically used for virtual machine file systems and databases requiring consistent IOPS.
- Object storage is generally more cost-effective for large volumes of data that do not require frequent access.
- Block storage provides lower latency and is more suitable for transactional data.
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