Object storage, also known as object-based storage, is a computer data storage architecture designed to handle large amounts of unstructured data. Unlike other architectures, it treats data as distinct units, bundling metadata and a unique identifier to locate and access each unit of data.

These units (or objects) can be stored locally but are typically stored in the cloud for easy access from anywhere. Due to its horizontal scalability, object storage has nearly unlimited scalability, and its cost for storing large amounts of data is lower compared to other storage methods like block storage.

Today, much of the data is unstructured and doesn't fit well in traditional databases, including emails, media and audio files, web pages, sensor data, and other types of digital content. As a result, finding efficient and cost-effective ways to store and manage this data has become a challenge. More and more businesses are turning to object storage as the preferred method for storing static content, data architecture, and backups.

Object storage is a data storage architecture used for storing unstructured data. It divides data into units (objects) and stores them in a flat data environment. Each object contains data, along with metadata and a unique identifier that applications can use to easily access and retrieve the object.

In object storage, a file's data blocks are collectively stored as an object, along with its related metadata and custom identifiers, in a flat data environment called a storage pool.

When you need to access data, the object storage system uses the unique identifier and metadata to locate the required object, such as an image or audio file. You can also customize metadata to add context that can be used for other purposes, such as retrieval for data analytics.

You can query object metadata using RESTful APIs, HTTP, and HTTPS to find and access objects. Since objects are stored in a global storage pool, you can quickly and easily locate the exact data you need. Additionally, the flat environment allows for rapid scaling, even for PB or EB-level loads, with no effort. The storage pool can be distributed across multiple object storage devices and geographic locations, so the scale is virtually unlimited. As data grows, you simply add more storage devices to the pool.

The advantages of object storage, such as elasticity and scalability, make it an ideal choice for managing unstructured data in cloud infrastructure. So, what is cloud object storage? As the name suggests, it is object-based storage offered as an on-demand cloud service. In fact, for most large cloud service providers, cloud object storage is the primary storage format.