What is Cloud Files?

Cloud Files is a cost-effective, internet-based, infinite-sized, redundant storage offering from The Rackspace Cloud. Cloud Files allows users to store/retrieve files via a simple Web Service (ReST: Representational State Transfer). Files can range in size from a few bytes up to 5 gigabytes and your storage grows or shrinks based on your usage. Add as much or as little as you want without worrying about over-buying/under-utilizing or running out of space. With Cloud Files, you pay for what you use and how much you use is up to you.

Who was Cloud Files built for?

Developers interested in using Cloud Files should be familiar with any of the following: ReSTful web-services, Python, PHP, Java, Ruby, or C#/.NET.

Cloud Files is a great fit for most hosting applications.

Cloud Files can be an excellent storage solution for a number of reasons and is well suited for a number of applications:

• Backups/archives of your data
• Serving images/videos (streaming data to the user's browser)
• Secondary/tertiary, web-accessible storage for your data
• Developer friendly for application integration
• Well suited when amount of storage is difficult to predict
• Simple point-and-click interface via the Rackspace Cloud Control Panel

Cloud Files is not a perfect fit for all types of applications.

There are some applications for which Cloud Files is not an ideal solution, these include:

• Native support within your Operating System. It is not possible to "mount" or "map" the Cloud Files storage system as a virtual hard-disk on your computer.
• Disk mirroring or backup solutions that require byte/block level differences. There are no concepts of "append" or "file locking" operations within Cloud Files.
• Data can be organized into storage compartments called "Containers," but they cannot be nested. Since there is only one top-level of Containers, you will not be able to upload a nested directory/folder structure into Cloud Files unless a transformation is performed to flatten the structure.

How much does Cloud Files cost to use?

Pricing for Cloud Files is broken down to storage usage, data transfer, and requests.

Storage:

• $0.15/GB

Data Transfer:

• Data Transfer In
• • $0.08/GB
• Data Transfer Out
• • $0.22/GB

Requests:

• $0.01 per 500 PUT, POST, or LIST requests < 250KB
• FREE PUT, POST or LIST request for files > 250KB
• FREE GET, HEAD or DEL Request

Other CDN costs:

• No request/operation charges
• No bandwidth charge from Cloud Files to CDN

Is there an SLA that's specific to Cloud Files?

There sure is an SLA. Click here to read the Cloud Files SLA.

How can I purchase a Cloud Files account?

You can create a new account simply by visiting www.rackspacecloud.com and selecting the "Cloud Files" product. If you are a Cloud Sites customer, you will automatically have access to Cloud Files.

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