Object Storage
Object storage is a data storage architecture that manages data as objects, each consisting of data, metadata, and a globally unique identifier, rather than as files in folders or blocks in sectors. It is designed for storing vast amounts of unstructured data, such as images, videos, backups, and logs, in a scalable and durable manner. Object storage systems typically offer high availability, redundancy, and accessibility via HTTP/HTTPS APIs, making them ideal for cloud-native applications and distributed environments.
Developers should learn and use object storage when building applications that require scalable, cost-effective storage for large volumes of unstructured data, such as media hosting, big data analytics, or backup solutions. It is particularly valuable in cloud environments and microservices architectures, where its API-driven access and high durability support distributed systems and disaster recovery scenarios. Use cases include storing user-generated content, archival data, and static assets for web applications.