What is Persistent Disk?
Virtual machines are great, but what happens to your data when they restart? Persistent Disk solves this by providing reliable storage that persists even after a reboot.
Think of it like this: Imagine your virtual machine is a powerful computer, but it doesn't have built-in storage. Persistent Disk acts like an external hard drive that you can attach to your VM. This disk uses SSDs for speed or HDDs for cost-effectiveness, depending on your needs.
Choosing the Right Disk:
Just like choosing a car, there's a Persistent Disk type for every need:
Standard PD (HDD): Affordable and ideal for basic applications and large-scale data analysis.
Balanced PD (SSD): A good balance between price and performance, perfect for everyday workloads.
Performance PD (SSD): Prioritizes speed, making it suitable for demanding tasks like databases and complex analytics.
Extreme PD (SSD): Unleashes the ultimate performance for applications like in-memory databases.
Local SSD: Offers the lowest latency for lightning-fast processing, ideal for data processing and temporary storage needs.
Availability Matters:
Local SSD: Best for temporary data in stateless applications, where data replication happens elsewhere.
Persistent Disk: Durable storage with automatic backups, suitable for most workloads.
Regional Persistent Disk: Highest availability option, replicated across zones for near-instantaneous recovery in case of outages.