Locally attached SSD storage for Compute Engine instances with highest performance and lowest latency.
What is Local SSD?
Local SSD is SSD storage physically attached to the host server for Google Compute Engine VMs. It offers the highest available storage performance on GCP with up to 2.4 million IOPS and sub-millisecond latency, but is temporary and not persistent.
The service is available as SCSI (standard) or NVMe (highest performance) variants with up to 9 TB per VM. Local SSD is suitable for temporary high-performance workloads like caching, scratch storage, or in-memory database buffers.
Common Use Cases
High-Performance Caching
Redis, Memcached, or Varnish caches benefit from Local SSD IOPS and latency. Data can be reloaded from primary source on loss. Multi-instance setup with replication increases availability.
Big Data Processing (Scratch Space)
Hadoop, Spark, and Dataproc use Local SSD for temporary shuffle data. High throughput accelerates MapReduce jobs. Data is not needed after job completion, perfect for temporary storage.
Database Buffers and Temp Tablespaces
MySQL/PostgreSQL temp_tablespace, Oracle redo logs, or MongoDB journal benefit from low latency. Combination with Persistent Disk for permanent data and Local SSD for temporary operations.
Media Rendering and Transcoding
Video rendering, image processing, and AI training with high I/O requirements. Local storage reduces network latency when reading large files. Output is saved to Cloud Storage after processing.
Local SSD Comparison
vs. AWS Instance Store: Comparable performance and concept. Google Cloud offers larger disks (up to 9 TB vs. AWS varies by instance type). AWS NVMe available on newer instance types.
vs. Azure Temporary Storage: Azure offers smaller temporary disks. Google Local SSD with higher IOPS and throughput. Azure Premium SSD v2 as alternative with persistence.
Integration with innFactory
As a Google Cloud partner, innFactory supports you with Local SSD implementations: performance optimization, data redundancy strategies, hybrid storage architectures, and disaster recovery planning.
Contact us for consultation on Local SSD and high-performance storage solutions.
Available Tiers & Options
SCSI
- Highest IOPS
- Sub-millisecond latency
- Cost-effective
- Temporary (not persistent)
- Tied to VM lifecycle
NVMe
- Highest performance
- Up to 9 GB/s throughput
- Lowest latency
- Higher cost than SCSI
- Temporary (not persistent)
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Local SSD?
Local SSD is SSD storage physically attached to the host machine of a Compute Engine VM. It offers extremely high IOPS (up to 2.4 million) and very low latency (sub-millisecond), but is temporary and deleted when the VM stops.
What is the difference between SCSI and NVMe Local SSD?
NVMe Local SSDs offer higher throughput (up to 9 GB/s vs. 1.2 GB/s) and lower latency through direct PCIe access. SCSI Local SSDs are cheaper and sufficient for most workloads. NVMe recommended for highest performance requirements.
Is Local SSD persistent?
No, Local SSD is temporary and tied to the VM lifecycle. Data is lost on VM stop, delete, or host maintenance. For persistent data, use Persistent Disk or Filestore.
When should I use Local SSD instead of Persistent Disk?
Local SSD is suitable for temporary data with highest performance requirements like caches, temporary processing, scratch space, or in-memory database buffers. Persistent Disk for permanent storage with snapshots and replication.
How do I secure data on Local SSD?
Implement application-level replication across multiple VMs, use regular backups to Cloud Storage or Persistent Disk, and plan for data loss on VM restart. Local SSD should never be the only data source.
What does Local SSD cost?
Local SSD costs approximately $0.08 per GB/month (SCSI) or $0.10 per GB/month (NVMe) in most regions. Billing is per-second for attached disks, regardless of usage.
