An object typically comprises data and metadata components that are bundled together and provided with a globally unique identifier. The unique identifier makes sure that there is no other object with the same object ID in the entire storage cluster, and thus guarantees object uniqueness.

Unlike file-based storage, where files are limited by size, objects can be of enormous size along with variable-sized metadata. In an object, data is stored with rich metadata, storing information about context and content of data. The metadata of object storage allows users to properly manage and access unstructured data. Consider the following example of storing a patient record as an object:

An object is not limited to any type or amount of metadata; it gives you the flexibility to add a custom type in metadata, and thus gives you full ownership of your data. It does not use a directory hierarchy or a tree structure for storage; rather, it is stored in a flat address space containing billions...