Glossary
What is Object-storage-first architecture?
Verified 21 September 2026
The conventional design keeps data on disks attached to always-running nodes, with a coordinator and metadata database tracking it. That standing infrastructure is most of the cost, and it scales with the size of the data rather than with usage.
The pattern is now common in analytical databases and data lakes, where separating storage from compute is what allows the query tier to scale independently of the volume it queries. It is increasingly applied to search and vector indexes for the same reason.
Common questions
What is Object-storage-first architecture?
An object-storage-first architecture keeps the authoritative data in object storage and treats compute nodes as replaceable caches, not the system of record.
How does Object-storage-first architecture work in practice?
The pattern is now common in analytical databases and data lakes, where separating storage from compute is what allows the query tier to scale independently of the volume it queries. It is increasingly applied to search and vector indexes for the same reason.
See it working
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