Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is launching an online data storage service aimed at developers.
Google Storage for Developers, a cloud storage service built on Google’s storage and networking infrastructure, lets developers use a RESTful API to connect their applications to “fast, reliable storage replicated across several U.S. data centers,” according to a Google blog posting.
The service offers multiple authentication methods, SSL support and access controls for sharing with individuals and groups. Google says the service is “highly scalable,” supporting read-after-write data consistency, objects of hundreds of gigabytes in size per request, and a domain-scoped namespace. Developers can manage their storage from a Web-based interface and use GSUtil, an open-source command-line tool and library.
For now, the service will be offered to a limited number of developers, who will receive up to 100GB of data storage and 300GB of monthly bandwidth at no charge. The service is being demonstrated at this week’s Google I/O conference.
The potential competitor to Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and other cloud storage services may be early in its development, but an overview page lists pricing for the service, starting at 17 cents a gigabyte per month, with data transfer fees of 10 cents a gigabyte for uploading and 15 cents for downloading.
Amazon pricing starts at 15 cents a GB, with a new 10-cent reduced redundancy option announced today. Amazon’s data transfer fees are similar to Google’s. Amazon is offering free data transfer in until June 30, and the first gigabyte transferred out each month is free.
Google also unveiled two new data analysis tools that can be used with the storage service: BigQuery and Prediction API.
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