Formats

Storage Formats

There are 3 main ways (formats) that data can be stored digitally:

  1. file storage
  2. block storage
  3. object storage

File storage

  • organizes and represents data as a hierarchy of files in folders
  • ex. Unix, NAS
  • Since a system must be the thing that implements a filesystem, data stored in this way is not easily portable
    • ex. using Windows FS and trying to open it on Mac will prove difficult

Block storage

  • chunks data into arbitrarily organized, evenly sized blocks. Each block is given an ID, making it easily retrievable from storage.
    • it takes several blocks to make up one file.
  • Data can be retrieved fast because it doesn't rely on a single path to find the data.
  • the more data you need to store, the better off you’ll be with block storage.
  • ex. Storage Area Network (SAN)

Object storage

  • manages data and links it to associated metadata.