For an application that requires a shared file system in OCI, which service is best suited?

The OCI File Storage Service is the best choice for applications requiring a shared file system in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. This service is designed to provide a fully managed, scalable, and shared file storage solution that allows multiple instances to connect and access a common file system simultaneously. This is particularly important for workloads that need shared access, such as applications for media processing, content management, or any scenario where multiple compute instances need to read from or write to the same file system.

The File Storage Service supports standard file protocols (such as NFS), enabling easy integration with existing applications and systems that utilize these protocols. Its performance scales according to the workload demands, making it suitable for various types of applications, from small-scale to large enterprise workloads.

In contrast, OCI Object Storage Service is designed for unstructured data storage and is more suited for scenarios where data does not need to be accessed as a file system. OCI Block Volumes provide block-level storage for individual instances, which does not offer shared capabilities across multiple instances. OCI Archive Storage is intended for long-term data retention and archiving, rather than for active workloads requiring a shared file system.