Which type of storage is often used for applications that require fast, low-latency access?

Block storage is particularly suited for applications that require fast and low-latency access, making it the ideal choice in scenarios such as databases and transaction-heavy applications. This type of storage allows data to be divided into fixed-sized blocks, each of which can be accessed and managed individually. Because of this structure, block storage can deliver high performance and quick access times, enabling efficient data retrieval and writing, which is critical for performance-sensitive workloads.

Additionally, block storage supports various file systems, making it versatile and adaptable for different types of applications. It is widely utilized in environments like virtual machines and for running I/O-intensive applications, where latency and speed are crucial considerations.

In contrast, file storage is typically designed for ease of use and sharing of files, while object storage is optimized for scalability and handling unstructured data, such as multimedia content. Network storage refers more to how data is accessed over a network rather than the storage characteristics itself. Therefore, for applications needing the fastest speeds and lowest latency, block storage is the appropriate choice.