Block Volume Scenarios

Adding Storage Capacity

A common use of a block volume is to add storage capacity to an instance. After you launch an instance and set up your cloud network, you can create a block storage volume. Then, you attach the volume to a compute instance using a volume attachment. The volume can then be mounted and used by your compute instance.

Moving a Volume to Another Compute Instance

A block volume can be detached from a compute instance and moved to a different compute instance without the loss of data. This data persistence enables you to migrate data between compute instances and ensures that your data is safely stored, even when it is not connected to a compute instance. Any data remains intact until you delete the volume.

To move your volume to another compute instance, unmount the drive from the initial compute instance, detach the block volume, then attach the volume to another compute instance. From there, you connect and mount the drive from that instance's guest OS to have access to the data.

Scaling a Compute Instance

When you terminate a compute instance, you can keep the associated boot volume and use it to launch a new compute instance with a different compute instance type or shape. This capability enables you to easily scale up or scale down the number of cores for a compute instance.