Your complete guide to file systems
Block vs. File vs. object storage
In the age of digital transformation, the success of businesses depends on data-driven decision-making. Finding the best way to store and manage data is top-of-mind for many companies. Each file system has its unique interface and protocol. To find the best fit, you may want to consider the form of abstraction, data structure, mapping logic and your use cases.
First thing first
Saving data can, in the simplest form, be thought of as putting them into different blocks, which are the minimum storage unit in computers. In this sense, block storage can be considered the foundation of its counterparts, such as file and object storage.
Block storage continued
Under this type of scheme, data is split into blocks, which are the abstract form of physical disks. Each block is assigned a unique identifier, but contains limited or no metadata to provide further context about the data in it. Instead, such systems rely on Logical Block Addressing (LBA) and data length for mapping and tracing purposes.
● Pros:
Stored separately, the individual pieces of data in block storage are easy to modify. When changes are made to a file, only the specific block affected needs to be overwritten, making the operation efficient. Providing high IOPS and low latency, this type of storage is capable of supporting mission-critical applications and high-volume databases with structured data.
● Cons:
Data sharing, however, is where this approach comes short as storage is tied to one server at a time. Even in a storage area network (SAN), data access is limited to devices on the internal network only. Block storage also tends to involve hefty investment because of on-premise deployment, especially for SAN setups. The requirement for maintenance personnel can further add to the cost.
● Usage scenarios:
SANs (access granted through protocols like FCoE and iSCSI), direct-attached storage (DAS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, databases and virtual machines.
Software companies, for one, can benefit from block storage by saving repeating or structured user data in a database. They can also count on virtual machines as a compelling product development tool.
File Storage
File storage uses a hierarchical scheme to organize data in a tree-like structure. Under this type of framework, file-related attributes like the name, size and path are required. Each time a user tries to locate a certain file, the system will search these metadata to return the expected result.
● Pros:
Organizing data in a clear-cut tree structure, file storage provides an intuitive interface. With the help of directories, users generally find it easy to access and share the files they need. Cost-wise, this is also an economic alternative.
● Cons:
As for the downside, the performance of file storage can be compromised when you’ve amassed large amounts of data. This is when the hierarchical architecture starts to become too complicated, and access limitations will inevitably arise.
● Usage scenarios:
Network-attached storage (NAS) and personal computers. Accessed via NFS, CIFS, SMB and AFS.
Think about the folders on your laptop that you open every day. Or the Samba system used by your company to share data internally. The directories, sub-directories and files that most of us see in our day-to-day are exactly what embodies the structure of file storage.
Object storage
There is a third approach called object storage, designed for rapidly accumulating unstructured data. Unlike file storage, which adopts a branching tree structure, object storage uses a flat system. Data is divided into discrete objects. Then each of these units is saved in a bucket, which can store almost unlimited data.
In an object-based system, every unit works as a self-contained repository with a unique identifier, also known as a key. Each one has a value and metadata attached to it, making it possible to save data in key-value pairs. Such pairs serve as tags, making data easy to search, filter and retrieve in a distributed environment. Tags are customizable and theoretically unlimited, hence an effective way of organizing fast-sprawling data.
● Pros:
Due to the flat structure, object storage provides robust scalability by adding nodes to existing clusters. It’s suitable for storing big data and computer codes, especially the unstructured type. This storage model works well for distributed servers and ensures ease of data sharing. In terms of price, it’s also relatively affordable compared to block storage.
● Cons:
Object storage doesn’t allow you to alter a piece of data only, so read and write operations must always be performed on entire objects. As such, it’s not ideal for backing traditional databases due to higher latency. The overall performance is also lower than block storage.
● Usage scenarios:
Thanks to the simple architecture and smooth API integration, object storage can be used for various software solutions.
○ Analysis: AI, machine learning, scientific research
○ Backup & Archive: Disaster recovery, logging, IoT, legal compliance
○ Media: Video surveillance, streaming, medical imaging
Choosing the right storage solution is critical to any business. To set your organization on the right track, be sure to evaluate your use cases and the workloads you expect to be dealing with.
Among the options that we covered above, object storage caters especially well to the data needs of the Internet age. Data grows at an exponential rate nowadays. The world is also seeing more and more user-generated content. As the IoT continues to develop, object storage is a solid choice for keeping up with data expansion.
Synology’s C2 Object Storage is one such solution that promises scalability at an affordable price. With native support for S3-compatible APIs, the service ensures effortless integration with other SaaS providers (Veeam, for example). A flexible and transparent pricing scheme is also in place to serve your requirements without any hidden fees.
C2 Object Storage offers 15 GB of complimentary storage. Get started now.
