Can you help me pick storage for app files if I need snapshots, encryption, and audit logs?

Yes. If you need snapshots, encryption, and audit logs, the right storage choice usually depends on whether you’re storing app files/object data, VM disks, or database volumes.

Best-fit options by use case

1) App files / unstructured data

Use object storage with:

• Versioning or snapshots
• Server-side encryption
• Access logging / audit logs

Good examples:

• AWS S3 + Versioning + SSE-KMS + CloudTrail / S3 access logs
• Azure Blob Storage + soft delete / versioning + encryption + Storage logs
• Google Cloud Storage + object versioning + CMEK + Cloud Audit Logs

This is usually the simplest and most scalable choice for app files.

2) Shared file storage

Use managed file storage if the app needs POSIX-style file access:

• AWS EFS
• Azure Files
• Google Filestore

Check for:

• Snapshot support
• Encryption at rest
• Audit logging support
• Backup integration

3) Block storage for servers/VMs

Use block storage if you’re storing disks for workloads:

• EBS / Managed Disks / Persistent Disk

These typically have:

• Snapshots
• Encryption at rest
• Activity logs through cloud audit systems

What to look for

Regardless of provider, confirm these features:

• Snapshots: point-in-time recovery
• Encryption at rest: ideally with customer-managed keys if compliance matters
• Audit logs: who accessed, changed, deleted, or restored data
• Retention controls: to protect logs and snapshots from accidental deletion
• Lifecycle policies: for cost control
• Immutability / object lock: if you need tamper resistance

Practical recommendation

For most app-file storage needs, I’d recommend:

Object storage + versioning/snapshots + KMS encryption + audit logging

If you want stronger protection against deletion or tampering, add:

• Object Lock / immutable retention
• Cross-region replication
• Centralized audit logging

If you want a simple decision rule

• Files uploaded by an app? → object storage
• Shared filesystem for apps? → managed file storage
• Disk for a VM or container node? → block storage

If you tell me your cloud provider and whether these are user-uploaded files, app artifacts, or VM data, I can suggest a specific service and configuration.