A common source of confusion for developers when they set out to build applications is deciding the right storage solution that’s best for their app. Often, developers will pick whatever storage solution is nearby or one they are familiar with or used in the past without giving much thought to the specific needs of the app they building. When building a new app, it’s important to remember that different classes of storage come with different strengths and use cases, and the type of storage a developer chooses can significantly affect an app’s performance. Below is an overview of different storage types with uses cases to help provide a starting off point when deciding on an application’s storage solution.

Object Storage

Object storage handles data as objects with each object assigned a unique identifier. Object storage is ideal for storing large amounts of unstructured data such as images and videos. Object storage is highly scalable, which makes it a good choice for cloud storage. Developers should consider using object storage when building applications that require scalable and cost-effective storage for large volumes of unstructured data, such as media streaming services, file sharing platforms, and backup and archiving systems.

File Storage

File storage organizes data into a hierarchical structure, placing it into files and directories. File storage is ideal for applications that require shared access, such as file servers and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. It is commonly used for storing documents, images, and other types of files that require some structure built in and is a good choice for applications that need to manage a lot of files efficiently.

 Block Storage

Block storage places data into, as the name says, blocks, typically used in storage area networks (SANs) and virtual environments. Each block is treated as an individual hard drive and can be accessed independently. Use cases for block storage include applications that require high-performance storage with low latency, such as databases and virtual machines. It offers fast read and write speeds, which makes it ideal for mission-critical applications.

 Database Storage

Database storage is a specialized type of storage designed for storing structured data in a relational database management system (RDBMS) or a NoSQL database. Some real-world examples for database storage include applications that require complex data queries and transactions. Database storage is commonly used for e-commerce platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and other data-intensive applications.

 In-Memory Storage

In-memory storage is a type of storage that stores data in random-access memory (RAM) instead of on disk. In-memory storage is suitable for applications that require fast access to data, such as real-time analytics, caching, and high-frequency trading systems. It offers extremely low latency and high throughput, making it the go-to option for applications that require near-instantaneous data access.

These descriptions provide a high-level overview of different storage types. When deciding on the best storage solution for their applications, developers should take time to consider the different storage types available as well as other factors such as the type of data being stored, the application’s performance requirements, how scalable the data needs to be, and cost considerations. Careful evaluation of an app’s unique requirements will ensure an application is well-equipped to handle its data storage needs in the long run. By taking time to examine an application’s use cases and potential future needs at the beginning of the app development process, developers can save themselves time and avoid having to go back and reconfigure systems later down the road.