Alibaba Cloud provides multiple cloud storage services, among which block storage, object storage and file storage are three different storage types, the differences are as follows:
Block Storage: Stored in units of physical blocks, suitable for scenarios that require high performance, low latency, and random read and write operations. Block storage can be mounted to a cloud server instance as a cloud disk or used as a distributed storage system.
Object Storage: Stored in units of objects, suitable for storage, management and access of massive data. Object storage can upload, download, copy and delete objects through API or web interface, supports scheduled backup, automatic archiving and other functions, and has the characteristics of high reliability and low cost.
File Storage: Stored in units of files, suitable for application scenarios that require file sharing or collaborative work. File storage can mount multiple ECS instances to the same file system, and provides access interfaces of standard NFS and SMB protocols.
In short, block storage, object storage, and file storage are all cloud storage services designed for different storage needs. When choosing which storage service to use, you need to make a trade-off based on factors such as specific business requirements, data type, access mode, data volume, and cost.