Object Storage

A strategy that manages and manipulates data storage as distinct units, called objects. These objects are kept in a single storehouse and are not nested as files in a folder inside other folders.

Object storage is a data storage architecture that manages data as objects rather than as files in a hierarchical directory structure or blocks on a disk. Each object includes the data itself, metadata (such as content type, creation date, and custom attributes), and a unique identifier used to retrieve it.

Object storage systems are designed for massive scalability, high durability, and cost-effective storage of large amounts of unstructured data. Major object storage services include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, and Cloudflare R2. These services provide HTTP-based APIs for uploading, downloading, and managing objects.

In API architectures, object storage is commonly used to store file uploads, static assets, logs, and backups. API gateways can route file upload requests directly to object storage services, generate pre-signed URLs for secure direct uploads, or serve static content from object storage. Cloudflare R2 is notable for its zero-egress-fee pricing model, making it cost-effective for serving large files through APIs.