If you save a Blob image in App Engine, should you put it in Blobstore or Google Cloud Storage?

Question

Google Cloud Storage looks more cost-effective than the App Engine Blobstore .

Currently, I save user-loaded image files as Blob type fields in the Datastore (App Engine Java API, by the way).

But I'm discussing whether to switch to Blobstore or Google Cloud Storage to allow image sizes larger than 1 MB.

Google Cloud Storage looks more cost-effective than Blobstore . Which one is better to store large images?

Answer 1

Blobstore is tightly integrated with App Engine, and Cloud Storage is standalone. Otherwise, they look like different interfaces for the same underlying service.

I see no good technical reason for evaluating them differently; perhaps this is a marketing thing.

Blobstore has a more mature API, and it does some neat things, such as sketching on the fly without additional storage. The cloud storage API is experimental and fast-paced . They are both capable of storing large images. To choose, you will need to decide whether the Rubust Blobstore API justifies the nominally higher cost.

Answer 2

Well, as of December 19, 2014. GCS seems to be the way to go. indicated by https://cloud.google.com/appengine/docs/java/storage#alternative_storage_solutions

Google Cloud Storage is recommended using the Blobstore API.

Answer 3

I am trying to give a different answer. I would suggest Picasa as a repository of images in a general situation.

I came across the same issue when Google stopped serving Google Storage for free. But then I noticed that Picasa is free for photos smaller than 2048x2048 when the Google+ account is enabled . And it’s even more economical for paid storage.

So, if you are going to store small photos, such as pictures with pictures, I would suggest the App Engine Blobstore. If you're dealing with multiple photos and photos, take a look at Picasa.

Answer 4

Please note that with the latest version, there is now an API for accessing Cloud Storage from App Engine.