Block Storage

Overview

Block storage provides additional NVMe-backed storage volumes that you can attach to your cloud servers. Unlike the server's built-in storage, block volumes can be expanded, detached, and reattached to different servers.

Create a Volume

1. Go to Storage → Block Storage in the dashboard.
2. Click Create Volume.
3. Choose the data centre (must match your server's location).
4. Set the volume size.
5. Click Create.

Attach to a Server

From the volume detail page, click Attach and select a server. The volume will appear as a block device on the server (e.g., /dev/vdb).

Format and Mount

After attaching, format and mount the volume on the server:

# Create a filesystem (first time only)
mkfs.ext4 /dev/vdb

# Create a mount point
mkdir -p /mnt/data

# Mount the volume
mount /dev/vdb /mnt/data

# Add to /etc/fstab for automatic mounting on reboot
echo '/dev/vdb /mnt/data ext4 defaults 0 2' >> /etc/fstab

Expand a Volume

You can increase a volume's size at any time without detaching it. After expanding in the dashboard, resize the filesystem on the server:

# For ext4
resize2fs /dev/vdb

# For XFS
xfs_growfs /mnt/data

Common Use Cases

• Database storage — keep database files on a separate volume for easier backups and migration
• Media files — store uploads, images, and videos
• Portable data — detach from one server and reattach to another during migrations