Shared Storage — Persistent Shared Volumes for Every Node
Persistent shared volumes with NFS for simple mounts and GlusterFS for replicated storage. Mount them across nodes and layers, replicate for failover, and export to external servers from the platform dashboard.
Storage volumes persist independently of compute nodes. Redeploy, scale, or restart your app — files on the /data mount stay intact.
Mount remote directories as local paths or export folders to other nodes. NFS for simplicity, GlusterFS for replication.
Enable GlusterFS replicated volumes across three or more nodes. The cluster self-heals on node failure.
Provision containers, configure mount points, and set export rules from the dashboard. No SSH or CLI required.
Store data where your app needs it — across every node
Use shared storage when uploads, generated assets, or mounted volumes need to stay consistent across app nodes and environments.
Add storage nodes
Add storage nodes and configure mount points from the dashboard.
Predictable billing
Set reserved cloudlets (128 MiB RAM + 400 MHz CPU each) and a scaling limit so storage billing stays predictable as load changes.
Export directories
Export directories to external clients with platform-generated firewall rules.
Storage scales independently from compute. Its cloudlets bill separately, so file-serving costs do not get mixed into app-server spend. Track disk usage per node from the dashboard.
Mount and export directories across your environment
There are two complementary operations: mount points, which the client initiates, and exports, which the server initiates. Configure either one and the platform creates the counterpart automatically.
Data Container
Primary Container
External Server
Choose NFS for read-heavy workloads or GlusterFS Native for write-heavy workloads that need replication.
Use read-only mounts when clients should view but not modify shared data. Only directories can be exported, not individual files.
Match the storage pattern to your workload
Local
Local filesystem
Use when data does not need sharing: logs, configs, Docker volumes.
Primary
Primary node sharing
Use when one layer needs a shared folder without adding a separate container.
Dual-role
Compound container
Use when a simple project needs shared mounts but not a dedicated storage node.
External
External NFS server
Use when you already have a NAS or remote NFS server and want to mount it directly.
Common Questions
What is a Data Storage Container?
A Data Storage Container is a dedicated node for persistent file storage that other containers mount over the network. It lets multiple environments share media, configs, logs, and backups as if the files were local.
How is NFS different from GlusterFS Native?
NFS is a straightforward protocol optimized for speed and low overhead. GlusterFS Native (FUSE) adds automatic replication across bricks for failover and data safety, but uses more CPU and disk. Choose NFS for performance-focused topologies and GlusterFS when reliability and backup matter most.
How does auto-clustering work for storage?
Enabling auto-clustering creates a replicated GlusterFS volume across three or more storage nodes. If one storage node fails, the mount client on your application containers switches to a healthy replica automatically on the next read or write -- no manual intervention needed.
Can I mount an external NFS server?
Use the External Server mount type and provide the public IP or domain of your third-party NAS along with the exported path. No extra server-side configuration on the platform is needed.
How is mount points different from exports?
Mount points are configured on the client, where you specify a remote directory to access locally. Exports are configured on the server, where you choose which directories to share and with whom. The platform handles the counterpart configuration automatically.
Can I share data across different environments?
Any node on the same account can mount directories from a Shared Storage Container, even if the nodes are in different environments. Use it to share media, configs, or backups across staging and production.
Can I use GlusterFS with SQL databases?
GlusterFS does not support structured data, so it should not be used as the primary storage for SQL databases. However, using GlusterFS to store database backups and restore snapshots is fine.
How does storage integrate with Docker containers?
Custom Docker containers support volume-based storage integration. You can create local volumes to persist data across redeployments, or mount remote directories from a Shared Storage Container with NFS or GlusterFS.
Can I keep storage data when I stop compute for cost control?
Stop compute layers and keep persistent storage online. That is a common way to reduce dev or staging costs without deleting files.
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