This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Latchu@DevOps
Google Cloud Storage
Block Storage → Persistent Disks (Zonal & Regional), Local SSDs, Hyperdisks.
- Zonal Persistent Disk: Data replicated in a single zone, independent of VM lifecycle.
- Regional Persistent Disk: Data replicated across two zones in the same region, offering higher durability.
- Local SSD: Ultra-fast local block storage tied to the VM lifecycle, meant for temporary data.
File Storage → Filestore, which provides managed NFS file shares for applications needing shared file systems.
Object Storage → Cloud Storage, a globally available, highly durable, and scalable object store for unstructured data.
Block Storage in General
• General Use: Hard Disks attached to VMs
• At any point of time one Block Storage Device can be connected to one VM in Read-Write Mode
• We can attach Read-Only Block Storage Devices to Multiple VMs
• One VM can be associated with Multiple Block Storage Devices
Recent & Latest: Multiple VMs can connect to a Block Storage Device in Read-Write Mode and that feature is called Multi-Writer Disks
Block Storage Types in General
• Direct-attached Storage (DAS): Regular HDD, SSD
• Storage Area Network (SAN): High-Speed network that provides block level network access to Storage.
Google Compute Engine - Block Storage Options
Zonal Persistent Disk
- Data is replicated within a single zone.
- Independent of the VM lifecycle (can persist even if the VM is deleted).
- Standard option for most workloads.
Regional Persistent Disk
- Data is replicated across two zones in the same region for higher durability.
- Also independent of VM lifecycle.
- Suitable for high availability scenarios.
Local SSD
- Provides high-speed block storage physically attached to the VM host.
- Lifecycle is tied to the VM instance (data is lost when the VM is stopped or deleted).
- Best for temporary or cache-type workloads where performance is critical.
👉 In short, Persistent Disks (Zonal/Regional) focus on durability and independence from VMs, while Local SSDs prioritize speed but are tied directly to the VM lifecycle.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Latchu@DevOps
Latchu@DevOps | Sciencx (2025-08-25T04:29:22+00:00) Part-23: Compute Engine Storage Options in Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/08/25/part-23-compute-engine-storage-options-in-google-cloud-platform-gcp/
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