Object storage is a data storage architecture designed to handle large amounts of unstructured data. Unlike traditional file or block storage systems, which store data as files or blocks, object storage treats data as discrete units called objects, each containing the data itself, metadata, and a unique identifier. This approach makes object storage highly scalable, flexible, and well-suited for modern use cases like cloud storage, big data, and content delivery.

One of the primary advantages of object storage is its ability to manage massive amounts of data across distributed systems. Since each object is self-contained with its own metadata, object storage can handle unstructured data like images, videos, backups, and sensor data efficiently. It also simplifies data retrieval, as objects can be accessed via their unique identifiers, regardless of their physical location in the storage system.

Common implementations of object storage include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage. These cloud-based solutions offer virtually limitless scalability, data redundancy, and global accessibility. Object storage is ideal for applications requiring high availability, such as content distribution networks (CDNs), data lakes, and backup systems.