* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [Hybrid cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing "Hybrid cloud") * What is network-attached storage? What is network-attached storage? ================================= Updated May 19, 2026•*6*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewHow does it work?SSD CachingSecurity featuresBenefitsNAS vs cloudsComparing storage typesWhy Red Hat? Overview -------- Network-attached storage (NAS) is a [file-level storage architecture](/en/topics/data-storage/file-block-object-storage) that makes stored data more accessible to networked devices. NAS is 1 of the 3 main storage architectures—along with storage area networks (SAN) and direct-attached storage (DAS). NAS gives networks a single access point for storage with built-in [security](/en/topics/security), [management](/en/topics/management), and fault tolerant capabilities. NAS can be set up as a container-ready storage option—essentially a setup where storage is exposed to a container or a group of containers. Containers are highly flexible and bring incredible scale to how apps and storage are delivered. [Learn more about container storage](/en/resources/openshift-data-foundation-datasheet "Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation: Persistent storage and cluster data management for Red Hat OpenShift") How does NAS work? ------------------ ### Hardware Preconfigured storage software is installed on dedicated hardware. Known as a NAS box, NAS unit, NAS server, or NAS head, this hardware is essentially just a server containing storage disks or drives, processors, and random-access memory (RAM). ### Software The main differences between NAS and general-purpose server storage lies in the software. NAS software is deployed on a lightweight operating system (OS) that's usually embedded in the hardware. General-purpose servers have full OSs that send and receive thousands of requests every second—a fraction of which may be related to storage—while a NAS box sends and receives only 2 types of requests: data storage and file sharing. ### Protocols [![Storage diagram ](/rhdc/managed-files/protocol.png "Storage diagram ")](/rhdc/managed-files/protocol.png) A NAS box is formatted with data transfer protocols, which are standard ways of sending data between devices. These protocols can be accessed by clients through a switch, which is a central server that connects to everything and routes requests. Data transfer protocols basically let you access another computer’s files as if they were your own. Networks can run multiple data transfer protocols, but 2 are fundamental to most networks: internet protocol (IP) and transmission control protocol (TCP). TCP combines data into packets before they’re sent through an IP. Think about TCP packets as compressed zip files and IPs as email addresses. If your grandparents aren’t on social media and don’t have access to your personal cloud, you have to send them vacation photos via email. Instead of sending those photos 1-by-1, you can bundle them into zip files before sending them over. In similar fashion, TCP combines files into packets before they’re sent across networks through IPs. The files transferred across the protocols can be formatted as: * **Network File Systems (NFS):** This protocol is regularly used on [Linux](/en/topics/linux) and UNIX systems. As a vendor agnostic protocol, NFS works on any hardware, OS, or network architecture. * **Server Message Blocks (SMB):** Most systems that use SMB run Microsoft Windows, where it’s known as "Microsoft Windows Network." SMB developed from the common internet file sharing (CIFS) protocol, which is why you might see it referred to as the CIFS/SMB protocol. * **Apple Filing Protocol (AFP):**A proprietary protocol for Apple devices running macOS. Red Hat resources ----------------- [Keep reading](/en/resources "Keep reading") SSD Caching ----------- NAS devices can use SSDs (solid state drives) to store frequently accessed data, thereby improving the performance of the NAS system. In read-caching, this frequently accessed data (hot data) is stored on the SSD cache, allowing for quicker read access. When a user requests data, the system first checks the SSD cache. When found, the data is served from the SSD, which is faster than accessing the HDD (hard disk drive). In write-caching, data is first stored on the SSD cache before being written to the HDD. This quickly stores data on the faster SSD to accelerate operations. Later, the data is transferred to the HDD in the background. SSD caching can combine both read and write caching, using SSD cache to accelerate read and write operations and providing a balanced improvement in overall performance. Security features of NAS devices -------------------------------- NAS devices make use of a range of security features to maintain secure access across users, data, and the network. To manage users and groups, NAS devices can allow administrators to specify access permissions for each user or group. Integration with [LDAP](/en/topics/security/what-is-ldap-authentication) or Microsoft Active Directory (AD) allows centralized management of user authentication and permissions while two-factor authentication (2FA) enhances security by requiring users to provide two forms of authentication before accessing the NAS. To secure data, NAS devices can encrypt data in storage and use protocols like SSL/TLS to encrypt data during transfer. Encryption can be directed to specific volumes or shared folders to add an additional layer of security. To maintain network security, built-in firewalls can restrict access to the NAS by IP address, allowing administrators to create rules that permit or deny traffic. VPN services can secure remote access to the NAS over encrypted connections. IP Blocking and Geo-Blocking can be used to automatically block IP addresses after multiple failed login attempts or restrict access based on geographical location. NAS benefits ------------ * **Scale-out capacity:** Adding more storage capacity to NAS is as easy as adding more hard disks. You don’t have to upgrade or replace existing servers, and new storage can be made available without shutting down the network. * **Performance:** Because NAS is dedicated to serving files, it removes the responsibility of file serving from other networked devices. And since NAS is tuned to specific use cases (like [big data](/en/topics/big-data) or multimedia storage), clients can expect better performance. * **Easy setup:** NAS architectures are often delivered with simplified scripts, or even as appliances preinstalled with a streamlined operating system—greatly reducing the time it takes to set it up and manage the system. * **Accessibility:** Every networked device has access to NAS. * **Fault tolerance:** NAS can be formatted to support replicated disks, a [redundant array of independent disks](https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/5/html/Deployment_Guide/ch-raid.html "Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)") (RAID), or erasure coding to ensure data integrity. * **Cost effective:** NAS devices used to create personal cloud storage are often an affordable alternative to subscription-based  cloud services. * **File format compatibility:** NAS devices can handle various media formats and convert them for playback on different devices. This compatibility is essential for those who primarily use NAS devices for media streaming. NAS vs clouds ------------- NAS by itself is not a [cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing). Clouds are IT environments that abstract, pool, and share scalable resources across a network. NAS can be an important part of a cloud environments, particularly when [cloud providers](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-are-cloud-providers) deliver storage to clients as part of an [Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-iaas) agreement. [Learn more about cloud storage](/en/topics/data-storage/what-is-cloud-storage "article | what is cloud storage?") Comparing storage types ----------------------- ### Storage area networks A storage area network (SAN) provides [block storage](/en/topics/data-storage/file-block-object-storage). Block storage splits storage volumes—like hard disks, [virtual](/en/topics/virtualization) storage nodes, or pools of cloud storage—into smaller volumes known as blocks, each of which can be formatted with different protocols. For example, 1 block can be formatted for NFS, another can be formatted for AFP, and a third can be formatted for SMB. This gives users more flexibility, but also makes navigating the blocks harder since they're bundles data together using arbitrary classifications. ### Direct-attached storage Direct-attached storage (DAS) is storage that's directly attached to a single computer. It's not networked and so can't easily be accessed by other devices. DAS was the precursor to NAS. Each DAS device is managed separately, while a NAS box manages everything. The most common example of DAS is a single computer’s hard drive. In order for another computer to access files on that drive, it must be physically removed from the original computer and attached to the new one, or a user must set up some sort of connection between the 2 devices—at which point the lines between DAS and NAS become a little blurry. ### Software-defined storage [Software-defined storage (SDS)](/en/topics/data-storage/software-defined-storage) is storage management software that operates independently of the underlying hardware. That means it’s possible to install SDS on a NAS box, which allows the hardware to be tailored to specific workloads. With SDS installed, storage hardware can be clustered so multiple servers can operate as a single system for a specific purpose. For example, 1 server cluster can be configured to hold user directories and NFS/CIFS folders, while another is configured for block storage so it can hold photos and multimedia. Some NAS/SDS solutions can even consolidate and deliver more than a petabyte of data in 30 minutes or less. Why Red Hat? ------------ Because our storage solutions are all built on open source, you have teams of developers, partners, and customers working together to solve your challenges. Red Hat® OpenShift® Data Foundation (formerly Red Hat OpenShift Container Storage) is software-defined storage integrated with and optimized for [Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/container-platform). It runs anywhere OpenShift does: in on-premise or [public cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-public-cloud) environments. OpenShift Data Foundation is built on [Red Hat Ceph® Storage](/en/technologies/storage/ceph) and supports: * Block storage for databases and messaging. * Shared file storage for continuous integration and data aggregation. * Object storage for archival, backup, and media storage. OpenShift Data Foundation manages application storage as well as registry, logging, and metrics for OpenShift Container Platform. [Why to choose Red Hat storage](/en/topics/data-storage/why-choose-red-hat-storage "article | why choose Red Hat storage?") The official Red Hat blog ------------------------- Get the latest information about our ecosystem of customers, partners, and communities. [Keep reading](/en/blog "The official Red Hat blog") All Red Hat product trials -------------------------- Our no-cost product trials help you gain hands-on experience, prepare for a certification, or assess if a product is right for your organization. [Keep reading](/en/products/trials "All Red Hat product trials") Keep reading ------------ ### What is hybrid cloud? Find out more about hybrid cloud, a combination of computing environments that share information and run a uniform series of applications. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-hybrid-cloud "article | what is hybrid cloud") ### What's the difference between cloud and virtualization? Learn the key differences between virtualization and cloud computing, their definitions, configurations, costs, scalability, tenancy, and security benefits. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/cloud-vs-virtualization "article | what's the difference between cloud and virtualization") ### Why are financial services slow to adopt the cloud? Find out why the financial services industry is slow to adopt the cloud, and why it's still a good idea to get started. [Read the article](/en/topics/financial-services/why-financial-services-are-slow-to-adopt-cloud "article | Why are financial services slow to adopt the cloud?") 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