File Storage
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
File storage in the cloud is a shared network drive that multiple servers can mount at the same time. It works just like a folder system — files in folders in folders. Perfect when multiple app instances need to read and write the same files simultaneously, unlike block storage which is attached to one server.
Real Talk
Cloud file storage provides managed network file systems accessible by multiple compute instances simultaneously via NFS or SMB protocols. Unlike object storage, it preserves hierarchical file/folder structure. Examples: AWS EFS, GCP Filestore, Azure Files. Higher latency than block storage but enables shared access.
When You'll Hear This
"We use EFS so all the app servers can share the same upload folder." / "File storage is more expensive than object storage at scale."
Related Terms
Block Storage
Block storage is like a virtual hard drive that you attach to a cloud server.
Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is just storing your files on someone else's servers in the cloud instead of your own hard drive.
EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)
EC2 is AWS's way of renting you a virtual computer in the cloud. You pick how powerful it is, what OS it runs, and pay by the hour.
Object Storage
Object storage treats files as 'objects' — each one gets a unique key (like a URL) and is stored with its data and metadata.