Object storage refers to a data storage architecture purpose-built to store and manage volumes of unstructured data. Each file is stored as an object. The object includes the file along with user-defined and application-defined metadata that includes information related to the file. Objects also feature a unique name, which can be used to find and access the object. Objects are stored in a large, non-hierarchical repository, or data lake.
File storage organizes files according to a logical hierarchy of files and folders. Folders are located in a directory and can also be nested within subfolders. File storage is commonly used for network attached storage (NAS) devices and personal computers. Files are located based on a path name that includes the associated directory, folder, and subfolder names, ending with the file name.