What is Object Storage?

Object Storage is an alternative method for storing, organizing, and accessing units of data. It offers a reasonable balance between performance and functionality while maintaining simplicity and scalability. Object Storage provides a minimal set of features: storing, retrieving, copying, and deleting objects. These basic operations are performed through REST APIs, allowing developers to work with objects programmatically. The HTTP interface to Object Storage systems enables fast and easy access to data for users worldwide.

Object Storage vs. Block and File Storage

Object Storage is significantly more scalable than file storage because of its simplicity. Unlike hierarchical folders, objects are stored in a flat organization of containers or buckets. Each object is assigned a unique identifier or key. Objects can be retrieved using their keys, regardless of their physical location. Access is made through application-level APIs rather than operating system-level file systems.

This approach requires fewer metadata and lower management overhead than file systems, making Object Storage nearly infinitely scalable. It is easier to use than block storage and overcomes the fixed-size limitation of LUNs. Additionally, it avoids file system constraints such as folder size or path name length. Unlike block or file storage, Object Storage does not use RAID for data protection but instead keeps multiple copies of each object.

VPSA Object Storage is Zadara’s object storage service. It is available in Zadara clouds alongside VPSA, which provides block and file storage services.