{"head":{"title":"What Is Object Storage? Definition and Example | OceanLab","description":"Object storage keeps files as objects in buckets, reached over HTTP, at low cost and huge scale. What it suits, an example and the common mistakes.","canonical":"https://oceanlab.in/glossary/object-storage"},"crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"Glossary","path":"/glossary"},{"name":"object storage","path":"/glossary/object-storage"}],"slug":"object-storage","term":"Object storage","aka":["blob storage","S3-compatible storage"],"category":"Hosting and delivery","short":"A way of storing files as objects in buckets, each with an ID and metadata, reached over HTTP and built to scale to huge amounts of data cheaply.","body":[["Instead of folders on a disk, object storage keeps each file as an object with a key, its data and metadata. Apps read and write objects through an API. Many providers offer an S3-compatible API, so the same code can work across them."],["It is built for files that are written once and read many times: uploads, images, video, backups, exports and data for analysis. It is not a database and not a disk for running software."]],"why":["Object storage is usually the cheapest and most durable place to keep files, and it scales without planning. Storing files there, not on app servers, is what lets servers be replaced and scaled freely. Costs come from storage, requests and ",{"href":"/glossary/egress","text":"egress"},"."],"example":["A construction app lets site teams upload photos. The app gives the phone a short-lived signed upload URL, the photo goes straight to object storage, and the database keeps only the key and metadata. A ",{"href":"/glossary/cdn","text":"CDN"}," serves thumbnails."],"inBuild":["We keep buckets private by default, use short-lived signed URLs for upload and download, scope object keys by tenant in ",{"href":"/glossary/multi-tenancy","text":"multi-tenant"}," apps, and set lifecycle rules that move old files to cheaper tiers or delete them on schedule."],"mistakes":[["Public buckets holding private files. This is one of the most common data leaks."],["Sending uploads through the app server instead of straight to storage."],["No lifecycle rules, so storage grows forever."]],"related":[{"href":"/glossary/cdn","label":"CDN (content delivery network)","detail":"A network of servers around the world that keeps copies of your files close to users, so pages and media load faster."},{"href":"/glossary/egress","label":"Egress (data transfer out)","detail":"Data that leaves a cloud provider's network, such as files sent to users, which many providers bill per gigabyte."},{"href":"/glossary/multi-tenancy","label":"Multi-tenancy","detail":"One running copy of a software product serving many customers, called tenants, with each tenant's data kept apart."},{"href":"/glossary/data-warehouse","label":"Data warehouse","detail":"A database built for analysis and reporting, where cleaned data from many systems is kept together in one place."},{"href":"/glossary/offline-first","label":"Offline-first","detail":"A way of building apps so they work fully without a network connection, saving changes on the device and syncing them when a connection returns."}],"tools":[],"links":[{"href":"/pricing/categories/object-storage","label":"Object storage pricing","detail":"Storage and transfer prices, with sources."},{"href":"/pricing","label":"Pricing library","detail":"Software and API prices, each with its source and date."}],"sources":[],"legal":false,"updatedAt":"2026-10-25"}