Google Colab disk space vs Google Drive disk space - What’s the difference?
I recently upgraded a Google Workspace account to Google Business Plus and with it came 5TB of pooled storage! I was so excited to dive into all of this storage.
*asks self: how many LLMs can I store in Google Drive?*
It turns out… a lot.
I immediately opened my Google CoLab account to see what my account said and I noticed something interesting. This is my Google Colab dashboard, and in the bottom left, I noticed that it still said 51.88 GB available 👀.
Upon further inspection, I noticed that it was saying I already had 26.31 GB of a total of 78.19 GB available. So, I had already been using data?
What is going on here (I thought to myself, confused)…
Then, I opened up Google Drive to find out that I did, in fact, have 5TB available. So what’s going on here?
The Core Difference
The discrepancy between the disk space available in Google Colab and Google Drive stems from their fundamentally different purposes and how they allocate resources for us as the users, or creators, of resources. For example, Google Drive is provisioning object storage space for items like PDF documents, while Google CoLab is providing an environment to operate in with ephemeral, short-term, storage for packages, dataframes, and model checkpoints that will get deleted when the environment is terminated.
Google Drive is a cloud storage service designed to store files, documents, photos, and more - your objects - known as object storage. The 5TB of storage space I now had access to reflects this purpose, providing tons of space for all sorts of files.
Google Colab, on the other hand, is a cloud-based service that focuses on machine learning and data analysis. It allows users to write and execute Python in an online notebook, which is fantastic for anyone looking to dive into data science, machine learning, or AI, without the hassle of setups and installations needed to provision your own server. The storage it offers is more about the ephemeral (temporary) disk space available to run these notebooks, rather than long-term file storage.
Why the Disk Space Difference?
Temporary Nature of Colab Resources: The disk space in Google Colab is temporary and is allocated per session. Each session can last up to 12 hours (for free accounts), after which the resources are recycled, and the disk space is cleared. This is why the available disk space is much less compared to Google Drive.
Purpose-Built for Computing: Google Colab's disk space is meant to handle datasets, temporary files, and the execution of machine learning models during an active session. It's not designed to store files long-term like Google Drive. The allocated disk space serves to ensure that the computations for your projects can run efficiently during your active session.
Shared vs. Dedicated Resources: Google Drive's storage is dedicated to your account, meaning the 5TB of space is yours to fill as you please. Google Colab's resources, however, are shared among users, especially in the free tier. This shared model is why there's a cap on the amount of disk space available in Colab, ensuring fair usage among its many users.
Bridging the Gap
While they serve different purposes, Google Colab and Google Drive are designed to work together seamlessly. You can mount your Google Drive within a Colab notebook to access and save files directly. This integration essentially allows you to use your Drive's storage capacity to store datasets or models you're working with in Colab, circumventing the temporary nature of Colab's disk space.
Increasing Disk Size in Google Colab
For those pushing the boundaries of what's possible within Google Colab and finding themselves in need of more disk space, there are a couple of strategies to consider. Whether you're working with larger datasets, need more space for your machine learning models, or simply require more room for installations and libraries, increasing your disk space can help overcome these limitations.
Upgrade to Colab Pro
One of the most straightforward ways to increase your disk space in Google Colab is by upgrading to Colab Pro or Colab Pro+. Personally, I like getting the minimum number of credits needed to accomplish a goal, so I usually will top up my credits rather than get a subscription on the off chance I’m paying for credits I probably won’t need.
These subscription services offer more resources than the free version, including:
Increased Disk Space: More disk space for your notebooks, allowing for larger datasets and more complex computations.
Longer Runtime: Extended session times before your notebook is disconnected, which is crucial for long-running processes.
Priority Access: Higher priority for accessing Colab's computing resources, meaning less waiting time for resources to become available.
Upgrading can significantly enhance your Colab experience, providing the extra resources needed for more demanding tasks.
Use External Storage Solutions
Another method to effectively increase your disk space is by integrating external storage solutions with your Colab notebooks. Here's how you can use Google Drive for this purpose:
1. Mount Google Drive: By mounting your Google Drive in a Colab notebook, you gain access to its storage directly from your notebook. This can be done with a few lines of code:
This approach allows you to store and access larger datasets or models directly from Google Drive, leveraging its storage capabilities.
2. External Cloud Storage: Besides Google Drive, you can also use other cloud storage services like Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Storage, or Dropbox by integrating their APIs into your Colab notebook. This method requires more setup but offers flexibility in choosing your preferred storage solution.
Optimize Your Storage Use
While increasing disk size can alleviate many issues, optimizing how you use your available disk space is also crucial. Here are a few tips:
Clean Up Regularly: Periodically remove unnecessary files from your Colab workspace to free up space.
Compress Data: Where possible, compress datasets and files before uploading them to your workspace to save space.
Stream Data: For very large datasets, consider streaming data directly from the source instead of storing it all in your workspace.
Conclusion
Understanding the difference between Google Colab disk space and Google Drive disk space boils down to recognizing their intended uses. Google Drive is your cloud-based hard drive for storing a wide range of files long-term. In contrast, Google Colab offers a powerful, temporary workspace for data science and machine learning projects, with disk space tailored to accommodate the computational demands of these tasks.
By leveraging both platforms in tandem, you can maximize your productivity and efficiently manage your storage needs. Whether storing countless large machine learning models on Google Drive or running complex data analysis in Google Colab, you're well-equipped to tackle any project that comes your way.
