Persistent Disk is used to store data persistently in a scalable and reliable manner within a cloud infrastructure. Key features: Persistence: As the name suggests, Persistent Disks retain data even if the associated virtual machine is shut down or deleted. This makes them suitable for storing critical data and configurations that need to survive VM instances' lifecycles. Scalability: Cloud providers offer various types and sizes of Persistent Disks to meet different performance and capacity requirements. You can attach multiple Persistent Disks to a single VM if needed. Reliability: Persistent Disks are designed to be highly available and durable. Cloud providers replicate the data to ensure redundancy and data integrity. This replication may occur within a single data center or across multiple data centers for added resilience. Snapshotting: Most cloud platforms offer the ability to take snapshots of Persistent Disks. These snapshots capture a point-in-time copy of the disk's data, which can be used for backup, disaster recovery, or creating new disk instances. Performance Options: Cloud providers offer different types of Persistent Disks with varying performance characteristics. For example, SSD-based disks offer high I/O performance, while HDD-based disks are more cost-effective for storing large amounts of data. Attachment Flexibility: Persistent Disks can be attached to virtual machines and detached as needed. This allows you to move disks between VMs or resize them without data loss. Encryption: Many cloud providers offer encryption at rest for Persistent Disks, enhancing data security.