Overview
A is the mechanism through which administrators expose storage tiers to users. Each type maps to a backend driver and optionally enforces I/O quality-of-service limits. When creating a volume, selecting the appropriate type ensures the data lands on the correct hardware and receives the expected performance characteristics.Prerequisites
- Volume types are defined by your administrator
- Contact your administrator if the required type is not available in your project
Storage Tiers
Xloud Block Storage supports tiered storage configurations. Each tier corresponds to a hardware class with distinct performance characteristics:| Tier | Hardware | IOPS (4K Random) | Throughput | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVMe | PCIe NVMe SSDs | 100,000 – 1,000,000 | 3 – 14 GB/s | Transactional databases, low-latency caches, real-time analytics |
| SSD | SATA/SAS SSDs | 10,000 – 100,000 | 500 MB/s – 2 GB/s | Web application data, VM boot disks, general-purpose workloads |
| Standard | 7.2K/10K RPM HDDs | 150 – 500 | 100 – 300 MB/s | Archival storage, bulk data, infrequent access |
View Available Volume Types
- Dashboard
- CLI
Navigate to Project → Volumes → Volume Types to view all types available to
your project. The list displays the type name, associated backend, and any
extra specifications set by your administrator.
Select a Volume Type for Your Workload
Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
Recommended tier: NVMe or SSDDatabases require consistent low-latency random I/O. NVMe is the preferred choice
for production databases with high transaction rates. SSD provides an acceptable
balance for development and staging environments.
| Database | Recommended Type | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| MySQL / MariaDB (production) | nvme | High write IOPS for WAL and data pages |
| PostgreSQL (production) | nvme | Random read/write for shared_buffers and WAL |
| MongoDB | ssd | Mixed read/write, benefits from SSD caching |
| Development / staging | ssd | Cost-effective for lower traffic |
Web and Application Servers
Web and Application Servers
Recommended tier: SSDWeb application data — configuration, assets, application state — requires moderate
IOPS with good throughput. SSD types deliver an optimal balance of performance and
cost for these workloads.
Archival and Bulk Storage
Archival and Bulk Storage
Recommended tier: Standard (HDD)Log archives, data warehouses, and infrequently accessed bulk storage do not
require high IOPS. Standard HDD-backed volumes provide large capacity at lower
cost per GiB.
Boot Disks (VM Root Volumes)
Boot Disks (VM Root Volumes)
Recommended tier: SSDVM boot volumes are read-intensively at startup and write-intensively during OS
operations. SSD provides the performance needed for fast boot times and responsive
OS operations.
Encryption-Enabled Types
Some volume types have encryption configured by your administrator. Volumes created from an encrypted type are automatically encrypted at creation — no additional action is required from you.Encrypted volume types require the Xloud Key Management service to be accessible.
If encryption is required for compliance, confirm with your administrator that an
encrypted type is available and that key management is configured for your environment.
Check if a volume type has encryption configured
Next Steps
Create a Volume
Create a volume using the appropriate type for your workload
Volume Types Admin
Administrators: create types, set backend associations, and configure QoS
Storage Tiers (Admin)
Configure NVMe, SSD, and HDD tier mappings for your storage cluster
Encryption (Admin)
Enable at-rest encryption on volume types using the key management service