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Object storage compared with a disk

How object storage keeps files as objects in buckets, how that differs from a server's disk, and what each one suits.

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A server's disk works like the drive in your computer: programs open files, change a few bytes in the middle and save them, many times a second. Object storage keeps whole files, called objects, in containers called buckets, and programs reach them over the internet. You upload, download or delete one whole object at a time.

How the two differ

Section titled How the two differ
A server's disk Object storage
Who can reach it The server it belongs to Any program with an access key, from anywhere, over HTTPS
How files change Any part of a file, at any time A whole object at a time: an upload replaces it
Folders Real folders Names with / in them, shown as folders
Size Fixed by the server's plan Grows as you store more
Suits The operating system, databases and running software Backups, media, logs, build output and files to share

Buckets, objects and access keys

Section titled Buckets, objects and access keys
Bucket
Holds objects. On Coritan, every bucket is private, lives in one region, and has a name that starts with your account's namespace, such as u7-assets (Create and delete buckets).
Object
One file, stored under its full name, called its key, such as photos/2026/beach.jpg (Upload, download and delete objects).
Access key
Lets a program sign in. It has an ID and a secret, can read only or read and write, and works on one bucket or on every bucket on your account (Create and revoke access keys).

The S3 API

Section titled The S3 API

Programs talk to object storage through the S3 API, a way of asking for objects that Amazon S3 made standard. Coritan's Object Storage speaks it, so backup tools, rclone, the AWS CLI and S3 code libraries work with it once you give them the region's endpoint and an access key (Connect an S3 client). You can also upload and download files in the dashboard, before you create any key.

What it costs

Section titled What it costs

An Object Storage service includes a storage allowance, set by its plan, and charges a rate per GB-month for what your buckets hold above it (How Object Storage is billed).

Next steps

Section titled Next steps