> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xloud.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Block Storage User Guide

> Create, attach, snapshot, backup, and manage persistent block storage volumes in your Xloud project. Find guides for every volume lifecycle operation.

<p style={{ fontSize: '1.25rem', fontWeight: 700, marginBottom: '0.75rem' }}>Overview</p>

Xloud Block Storage provides persistent, high-performance block devices that attach to your
[Compute instances](/services/compute/user-guide) as virtual disks. Unlike ephemeral instance
storage, block volumes retain data across reboots, migrations, and instance deletion —
making them the standard choice for databases, application state, and any workload where
data durability is required.

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * An active Xloud account with appropriate permissions
  * Access to the **Xloud Dashboard** or CLI configured with credentials
  * API credentials sourced (`source openrc.sh`)
</Note>

***

<p style={{ fontSize: '1.25rem', fontWeight: 700, marginBottom: '0.75rem' }}>Key Concepts</p>

| Term            | Description                                                                                          |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Volume**      | A persistent block device that can be attached to one compute instance at a time                     |
| **Snapshot**    | A point-in-time, crash-consistent copy of a volume stored within the same storage cluster            |
| **Backup**      | A full or incremental copy of a volume written to a separate backup target for long-term retention   |
| **Volume Type** | A named storage profile defining the backend, performance tier, IOPS limits, and encryption policy   |
| **Attachment**  | The binding between a volume and a compute instance, represented as a device path (e.g., `/dev/vdb`) |
| **Transfer**    | A token-based mechanism to move volume ownership between projects without copying data               |

***

<p style={{ fontSize: '1.25rem', fontWeight: 700, marginBottom: '0.75rem' }}>Volume Lifecycle</p>

```mermaid theme={null}
graph LR
    Create["Create Volume"] --> Attach["Attach to Instance"]
    Attach --> Use["Format & Mount\nInside Instance"]
    Use --> Detach["Unmount & Detach"]
    Detach --> Attach
    Use --> Snapshot["Take Snapshot"]
    Snapshot --> Restore["Restore to New Volume"]
    Use --> Backup["Create Backup"]
    Backup --> RestoreB["Restore from Backup"]
    Detach --> Extend["Extend Volume"]
    Extend --> Attach
    Detach --> Transfer["Transfer to Another Project"]
    Detach --> Delete["Delete Volume"]
```

***

<p style={{ fontSize: '1.25rem', fontWeight: 700, marginBottom: '0.75rem' }}>Guides</p>

<CardGroup cols={4}>
  <Card title="Create a Volume" icon="plus" href="/services/storage/create-volume" color="#197560">
    Provision a persistent volume — blank, from an image, or from a snapshot
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attach / Detach Volumes" icon="link" href="/services/storage/attach-volume" color="#197560">
    Connect volumes to instances, format filesystems, mount, and safely detach
  </Card>

  <Card title="Extend a Volume" icon="expand" href="/services/storage/extend-volume" color="#197560">
    Increase volume capacity online without detaching or stopping the instance
  </Card>

  <Card title="Volume Snapshots" icon="camera" href="/services/storage/snapshots" color="#197560">
    Create point-in-time snapshots for fast recovery and volume cloning
  </Card>

  <Card title="Volume Backups" icon="archive" href="/services/storage/backups" color="#197560">
    Full and incremental backups to a separate target for disaster recovery
  </Card>

  <Card title="File-Level Restore" icon="folder-open" href="/services/storage/file-level-restore" color="#197560">
    Browse a snapshot and download individual files or folders — no full-volume restore needed
  </Card>

  <Card title="Third-Party Backup" icon="shield-check" href="/services/storage/third-party-backup" color="#197560">
    Use Trilio, Veeam, Commvault, and other vendors alongside the native backup
  </Card>

  <Card title="Volume Transfers" icon="send" href="/services/storage/volume-transfers" color="#197560">
    Move volume ownership between projects using a token-based transfer
  </Card>

  <Card title="Volume Types" icon="layers" href="/services/storage/volume-types" color="#197560">
    Understand NVMe, SSD, and Standard storage tiers and choose the right one
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/services/storage/troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Diagnose and resolve common volume, snapshot, and attachment issues
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

<p style={{ fontSize: '1.25rem', fontWeight: 700, marginBottom: '0.75rem' }}>Next Steps</p>

<CardGroup cols={4}>
  <Card title="Block Storage Admin Guide" icon="shield" href="/services/storage/admin-guide" color="#197560">
    Configure backends, volume types, QoS policies, and storage tiers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compute User Guide" icon="server" href="/services/compute/user-guide" color="#197560">
    Launch instances and attach volumes as persistent boot or data disks
  </Card>

  <Card title="CLI Setup" icon="terminal" href="/cli-setup" color="#197560">
    Install and configure the CLI for volume management from the terminal
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/cli-setup" color="#197560">
    Configure Dashboard access and CLI credentials
  </Card>
</CardGroup>