What type of cloud storage is most suitable for high-performance, transactional applications such as databases?

The most suitable type of cloud storage for high-performance, transactional applications such as databases is block storage. Block storage allows data to be stored in fixed-sized blocks, which can be accessed and modified independently. This structure is highly advantageous for applications that require fast and consistent read and write operations, as is typical in database environments.

Block storage typically integrates closely with virtual machines and provides the performance needed for managing high volumes of transactions effectively. It can deliver low-latency access to data, enabling transactional workloads to execute efficiently. As such, block storage is ideal for I/O-intensive applications where speed and reliability are critical.

In contrast, other types of cloud storage like object storage and blob storage tend to focus on handling unstructured data and are optimized for different use cases, such as large volumes of data that may not require high-speed access. File-based storage, while beneficial for serving files in a hierarchical structure, may not offer the same performance characteristics as block storage when it comes to high-frequency transactions in databases.