OpenStack Object Storage (Swift) aggregates commodity servers to work together in clusters for
reliable, redundant, and large-scale storage of static objects. Objects are written to multiple
hardware devices in the data center, with the OpenStack software responsible for ensuring data
replication and integrity across the cluster. Storage clusters can scale horizontally by adding new
nodes, which are automatically configured. Should a node fail, OpenStack works to replicate its
content from other active nodes. Because OpenStack uses software logic to ensure data replication
and distribution across different devices, inexpensive commodity hard drives and servers can be used
in lieu of more expensive equipment.
