Distributed and network file systems

HDFS spreads large files across many machines for batch processing; NFS-style services let several servers mount the same files. Both are slower than local disks and object storage is usually a better default.

Where it shows up in real systems

  • Shared file system

    Useful for legacy applications and content management systems that expect a disk. Each operation crosses the network, so it is much slower than a local disk and should not hold hot data or databases.

    In production: Amazon EFS, Azure Files, Google Filestore, NFS, CephFS

See it break, then fix it

Build an architecture, send it a day of traffic and outages, and learn why it holds or fails. Free to start.

Open the learning path Open the sandbox