NAS (Network Attached Storage)

NAS is a dedicated file storage device that provides data access to multiple clients over a network.

What is NAS?

Network Attached Storage (NAS) is a dedicated file storage device that connects to a network, providing centralized data storage accessible to multiple clients via standard file protocols.

NAS protocols

NFS (Unix/Linux), SMB/CIFS (Windows), AFP (legacy Mac).

Common misconceptions

"NAS is just external drives" — Full storage server
"NAS is slow" — Modern NAS supports high speeds
"NAS equals SAN" — Different architectures