Object storage (S3-compatible services) and storage servers solve related but different problems. Choosing the wrong one for your workload costs money and creates architectural complexity that compounds over time. Here's a straightforward framework for making the right call.
Object storage: what it's actually good for
Object storage (Backblaze B2, Amazon S3, Wasabi) is optimized for: storing files that are accessed via HTTP/API, scaling to petabytes without provisioning servers, and achieving high durability (11 nines) through automatic replication. It's the right architecture for: user-uploaded content, static website assets, software distribution, and database backups.
The trade-off is access pattern. Object storage doesn't support random writes to a file — you replace the whole object. You can't mount it as a filesystem the way you would block storage. For applications that need to modify files in-place (databases, logs), object storage requires workarounds.
Block storage and storage servers: what they solve
Block storage — a mounted virtual disk on a VPS — and physical storage servers behave like a local hard drive. You can run a filesystem, write files in-place, run databases, and work with software that expects standard POSIX file operations.
CherryServers' Storage VPS provides up to 3TB HDD block storage from ~€25/mo, mounted and usable like any disk. With 35TB free egress included, serving data from these volumes doesn't incur bandwidth charges. For self-hosted Nextcloud, Plex media servers, Postgres databases, or log aggregation, block storage on a VPS is simpler and often cheaper than object storage.
Cost comparison for common workloads
3TB of static file storage: CherryServers Storage VPS at €25/mo (block storage, 35TB free egress) vs Backblaze B2 at $18/mo (object storage, egress via Cloudflare free tier). B2 wins on cost for static asset serving with Cloudflare. CherryServers wins if you need the storage mounted as a filesystem.
Backup storage: CherryServers Backup Storage at €2.99/50GB/mo is competitive for smaller backup sets. Object storage (B2 at $6/TB/mo) wins at multi-TB scale. The right answer depends on how you run backups — if your backup software supports S3 APIs, object storage scales more cost-effectively.
Decision framework
Choose object storage when: you're storing user uploads or media that needs HTTP delivery, you need automatic redundancy, or you're storing database backups that will be retrieved rarely. Choose block/storage server when: your application needs mounted filesystem access, you're running databases that need fast random I/O, or you want to avoid per-GB API fees on high-request workloads.
For most storage use cases, start with the architecture that requires fewer moving parts. A CherryServers Storage VPS with 3TB mounted is operationally simpler than integrating S3-compatible APIs into every write path. Add object storage when the scale or access pattern genuinely requires it.