File Systems
There are several common ways to store binary information:
- Database or key-value store (e.g. PostgreSQL, SQLite) - Good for small files or a finite amount of files which fit within the confines of a database.
- Object store (e.g. S3) - same as a key-value store but typically designed to scale lots of files across multiple HDDs and hosts.
- File systems (e.g. EXT4) - good for files where certain operations benefit from a hierarchical data structure, e.g. list, delete. File systems typically come with metadata such as permissions and owners.
- Block storage - you get raw disk access but need to layout your binary data manually and in fixed block sizes.
Standard File Systems
- BTRFS
- ZFS
- EXT4
- XFS
- NTFS
Overlay File Systems
- MergerFS - a union file system to combine multiple folders on a single computer.
Block Overlays
The create a view of one or more block storage, typically using one or more block storage.
Object Stores
- Minio - S3-compatible object store
- Ceph - joins drives across multiple computers. Has block, file, and object storage APIs.
- Rook - deployment of Ceph using Kubernetes
- SeaweedFS - joins drives across multiple computers to object storage APIs (incl. S3). Has file storage when paired with a database using the SeaweedFS Filer.
Distributed File Systems
- GlusterFS - joins filesystem directories across multiple computers
- Ceph - joins drives across multiple computers. Has block, file, and object storage APIs.
- JuiceFS - creates a POSIX-compatable file storage using an S3 object storage and metadata database.
Databases
- SQL
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- SQLite
- NoSQL
- MongoDB