Object Storage and Its Scalability

What Is Object Storage

Object storage organises data as independent objects, each composed of three elements: the data itself (the file), a set of custom metadata (author, date, MIME type, retention policy, tags) and a unique identifier that locates it within a flat namespace, with no directory hierarchy.

Unlike block storage, where data is divided into fixed-size chunks and the operating system reassembles them, or file storage, which organises them in folders and subfolders with POSIX permissions, object storage treats each piece of data as an atomic unit accessible through a REST/HTTP API. There is no mounted file system, no directory paths, no file locks. Just objects, metadata and an API.

This architectural simplicity is precisely what allows Object Storage to scale virtually without limit. By not depending on a directory tree or an inode table, the system can distribute objects across hundreds or thousands of nodes without structural bottlenecks.

Comparison Table: Object vs Block vs File Storage

The following table summarises the fundamental differences between the three storage models across the aspects that matter most when choosing:

Why Object Storage Scales Without Limits

The scalability of object storage is not a marketing claim: it is a direct consequence of its distributed architecture. While a traditional file system depends on a central metadata server (the MDS of a NAS, the controller of a SAN), Object Storage distributes both data and metadata across multiple nodes automatically.

When an Object Storage cluster needs more capacity, you simply add additional nodes. The system redistributes data transparently through automatic sharding and a consistent hashing algorithm that determines which node stores each object without the need for a centralised routing table. There is no massive data migration, no maintenance window and no theoretical capacity limit.

Durability is guaranteed through erasure coding, a technique that fragments each object into N data chunks and M parity chunks. The system can reconstruct the complete object even if up to M fragments are lost simultaneously. In practice, this delivers durability of 99.999999999% (eleven nines) with a storage overhead far lower than classic triple replication. If a disk fails, the cluster automatically regenerates the lost fragments onto healthy disks without human intervention.

The S3 Protocol: the De Facto Standard

Amazon launched Simple Storage Service (S3) in 2006, and its API has become the de facto standard for accessing object storage. Today, virtually every Object Storage platform (MinIO, Ceph RADOS Gateway, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, EasyDataHost S3) implements the S3 API, enabling you to switch providers without modifying your client application.

The fundamental concepts of the S3 protocol are straightforward. A bucket is a logical container with a globally unique name that groups objects. Within a bucket, each object is identified by a key that functions as its unique name. The basic operations are PUT (upload), GET (download), DELETE (remove) and LIST (enumerate), all executed via standard HTTP requests with HMAC-SHA256 signature-based authentication.

The S3 protocol also supports advanced features essential for enterprise environments: versioning (maintaining multiple versions of the same object to protect against accidental overwrites or deletions), lifecycle policies (automatically moving objects between storage tiers or deleting them after a period), multipart upload (uploading large objects in parallel chunks) and Object Lock (object-level immutability).

Object Storage Use Cases

The versatility of object storage makes it the ideal solution for multiple scenarios where data volume is large, access is predominantly sequential and durability is critical:

• backup Offsite backup with Veeam SOBR: Veeam Backup & Replication uses the Scale-Out Backup Repository (SOBR) feature to send backups to an S3 capacity tier. Data is stored immutably with Object Lock enabled, protecting backups against ransomware and accidental deletions.
• archive Long-term archiving: legal documentation, medical records, financial records and any data that must be retained for years due to regulatory requirements. Object Storage offers the lowest cost per terabyte on the market for cold and warm data.
• analytics Data lakes: centralised repositories of raw data (CSV, Parquet, JSON, logs) that feed analytics and machine learning pipelines. Tools like Apache Spark, Presto or Trino query data directly from S3 without needing to move it to a data warehouse.
• videocam Multimedia and streaming: video platforms, medical image libraries (DICOM/PACS), design asset repositories and any multimedia content requiring massive storage with direct HTTP access.
• sensors IoT and telemetry: millions of industrial sensor readings, connected vehicle data or infrastructure metrics that are continuously ingested and must be retained for long periods for retrospective analysis.
• gavel Compliance and legal retention: sectors such as finance, healthcare or the public sector need to store data with immutability and traceability guarantees to comply with regulations like GDPR, PCI-DSS, HIPAA or ENS.

Object Lock and Immutability: Real Protection

Immutability is one of the most critical features of modern Object Storage. Object Lock implements the WORM (Write Once, Read Many) model: once an object is written with a retention period, neither the user, nor the administrator, nor even the provider can modify or delete it until the period expires.

There are two Object Lock modes. Governance mode allows users with special permissions (such as a security administrator) to lift the lock if necessary. It is suitable for protection against human error and accidental deletions. Compliance mode is absolutely strict: no one can modify or delete the object during the retention period, not even the root account. This mode is required by financial and healthcare regulations that demand traceability and tamper-proof guarantees.

In the context of backup, Object Lock is the last line of defence against ransomware. If an attacker compromises the production infrastructure and backup servers, copies stored in S3 with Object Lock remain intact because the protocol prevents their deletion at the storage level. Veeam natively integrates Object Lock writing in its SOBR repositories, making each backup an immutable piece of data from the moment it is written.

EasyDataHost S3: Storage with No Hidden Costs

One of the historical problems with S3 storage on hyperscalers is pricing complexity. AWS S3, for example, charges for storage, PUT/GET/LIST requests, outbound data transfer (egress), tier transitions and Object Lock. Predicting the monthly bill requires a complex cost model and often results in surprises.

EasyDataHost S3 eliminates that complexity with a transparent pricing model: you only pay for the storage consumed. There are no egress fees, no API request charges and no surcharges for Object Lock or versioning. The price per terabyte is fixed and predictable.

The platform offers two storage tiers: NVMe for hot data requiring low latency and high throughput, and HDD for warm and cold data where cost per terabyte is the priority. Both tiers are compatible with the standard S3 API, support Object Lock in Governance and Compliance modes, and store data in a data centre in Spain, guaranteeing sovereignty and GDPR compliance.

• check_circle No egress fees: download your data whenever you want with no additional charges.
• check_circle No request charges: PUT, GET, LIST and DELETE operations carry no extra cost.
• check_circle Veeam compatible: certified as an S3 target for SOBR, Microsoft 365 backup and archiving.
• check_circle Data in Spain: guaranteed data sovereignty, GDPR compliance and low-latency proximity.

Checklist: Is Object Storage Right for You

Before migrating data to Object Storage, review these five points to confirm it is the right model for your use case:

• task_alt Volume: your unstructured data exceeds 10 TB and grows steadily month over month.
• task_alt Access pattern: most reads are sequential (backups, archives, multimedia), not random low-latency accesses like those of a database.
• task_alt Durability: you need guarantees that data survives disk, node or rack failures without loss.
• task_alt Immutability: legal or security requirements demand that certain data cannot be modified or deleted for a defined period.
• task_alt Predictable costs: you want a pricing model with no surprises from egress, requests or tier transitions.

Conclusion

Object storage has evolved from a niche technology into the pillar upon which modern data strategies are built. Its ability to scale horizontally without practical limits, combined with costs per terabyte lower than any block or file storage alternative, makes it the natural solution for backup, archiving, data lakes, multimedia and IoT.

• arrow_right Object Storage stores data as independent objects with metadata, accessible via S3 API, with no directory hierarchy.
• arrow_right Scalability is inherent to its distributed architecture: adding nodes increases capacity without migrations.
• arrow_right The S3 protocol is the industry standard, ensuring portability between providers.
• arrow_right Object Lock protects data against ransomware and meets legal immutable retention requirements.
• arrow_right EasyDataHost S3 provides object storage with no egress fees, no request charges and data in Spain.

If you need scalable, immutable storage with predictable costs, contact our team to design the S3 solution that best fits your business.