Storage
What is object storage?
Object storage is a bucket API that holds blobs addressed by key. A database may point at those keys instead of copying every byte.
Updated
How it works
- You put a blob at a key.
- A typed column can reference that key.
- The bucket provider bills storage and, often, transfer. That bill is not the database’s.
What it is not
It is not a multimodal catalog, and a bucket with low egress fees is not a CDN.
object storage: this, and the thing it is confused with
| This | Not this | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit | A blob and a key | A row with a type |
| Query | Get by key | Similarity or a column expression |
| Catalog | Optional, in front | The bucket itself |
Where Pixeltable fits
Pixeltable can point media columns at S3-compatible buckets and Hugging Face buckets you already run.
Questions
- How does object storage work?
- You put a blob at a key. A typed column can reference that key. The bucket provider bills storage and, often, transfer. That bill is not the database’s.
- What is object storage often confused with?
- It is not a multimodal catalog, and a bucket with low egress fees is not a CDN.