Object stores

Object-based storage (aka object storage) is a data storage architecture where data is managed as objects. Traditional filesystems use block storage where data is stored as files and organized in folders. Under the hood, the files are linked lists of data blocks stored on top of a block filesystem, which in turn is built on top of disks.

Object storage is ideal for storing large amounts of unstructured data. Unstructured doesn't necessarily mean that the data in this storage has no structure. Rather, it doesn't conform to the data format that can be fit into normal structured data storage systems such as relational database management systems (RDBMS) or NoSQL. The internet is full of such unstructured data, with images and videos topping the list. Web pages and text content, including emails, come next. While most of this content has its own format, it is not easy to store, search, or retrieve using traditional data storage methods.

An explosion in the...