File storage organizes and stores data inside a folder. Files are named, tagged with metadata and organized in folders under a hierarchy of directories and subdirectories. To access the data in a file storage system your computer system only requires the directories and subdirectories in which to find it. A hierarchical storage system like this works well with relatively small, easily organized amounts of data. "File Storage: A Complete Guide" provides a full overview of block storage.

Block storage offers an alternative to file-based storage — one with improved efficiency and performance. Block storage breaks a file into equally-sized chunks of data and stores these data blocks separately under a unique address. You can store the collection of blocks anywhere in the system for maximum efficiency. To access a file, a server operating system uses the unique address to pull the blocks back together, assembling these into the file. You will gain efficiencies as the system does not need to navigate through directories and file hierarchies to access the data blocks. Block storage works well for critical business applications, transactional databases and virtual machines that require low-latency (minimal delay), granular or more detailed access to data, and consistent performance. "Block Storage: A Complete Guide" provides a full overview of block storage.