Introduction to Google Cloud Storage
Google Cloud Storage is a web service that allows global storage and retrieval of large volumes of data at any time. You can use Google Cloud Storage to back up data or distribute large data objects to users through direct download.
You can choose the following storage classes that Google Cloud Storage offers based on their availability, latency, and price:
- Standard Storage
- You can use Standard Storage to store data that requires high availability or low latency. For example, you can use Standard Storage in gaming and mobile applications.
- Durable Reduced Availability (DRA)
- You can use DRA to store data that is cost sensitive or data that does not require the highest availability. For example, you can use DRA for data backup and batch jobs that require high durability but do not require the highest availability.
- Cloud Storage Nearline
- You can use Cloud Storage Nearline to store data that you do not access frequently and requires the lowest availability. For example, you can use Cloud Storage Nearline to back up data for disaster recovery.
Google Cloud Storage comprises the following components:
- •Projects
- •Buckets
- •Objects
- •Access Control Lists (ACLs)
The following image shows how data can be organized in Google Cloud Storage:
You can use the following components to write to Google Cloud Storage:
- Projects
- In Google Cloud Storage, all resources are stored within a project. Project is a top-level container that stores billing details and user details. You can create multiple projects. A project has a unique project name, project ID, and project number.
- Buckets
- Each bucket acts like a container that stores data. You can use buckets to organize and access data. You can create more than one bucket but you cannot nest buckets.
- Objects
- Objects comprise the data that you upload to Google Cloud Storage. You can create objects in a bucket. Objects consist of object data and object metadata components. The object data is a file that you store in Google Cloud Storage. The object metadata is a collection of name-value pairs that describe object qualities.
- Access Control Lists (ACLs)
- ACLs manage objects and buckets. An ACL consists of permission and scope entries. Permission defines the access to perform a read or write operation. Scope defines a user or a group who can perform the operation.
