---
title: "Storage"
description: "Block disks and NFS file shares in the Metalhost dashboard — create, attach, mount, and delete."
url: "https://metalhost.net/docs/dashboard/guides/storage"
---

# Storage

Project storage lives under top nav *storage*: **block disks** (NVMe, one VM at a time), **file shares** (NFSv4, many VMs can mount), and **backups**.

## Block disks

RWO volumes — attach to exactly one VM at a time. Summary line shows disk count, total GiB, and estimated $/mo (billed per-second).

### Create a disk

**new disk** — optional name, size (1–1024 GiB), datacenter. Disk appears as `provisioning` then `available`.

### Attach to a VM

Not on the storage page — open the VM → *disks* tab and attach an available disk. You can also add a data disk during [VM create](https://metalhost.net/docs/dashboard/guides/vms-create.md).

### States

| State | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `available` | Created, not attached. |
| `attached` | Mounted on a VM — link goes to that VM's disks tab. |
| `provisioning` | Being created. |
| `deleting` | Removal in progress. |

### Rename and delete

- **Rename** — pencil icon.
- **Delete** — trash; confirm ("data is unrecoverable"). Disabled while attached or provisioning.
- **Bulk delete** — select checkboxes → delete bar.

> **detach before delete**
>
> Attached disks must be detached on the VM disks tab before you can delete them from storage.

## File shares

*storage → file shares*. RWX NFSv4 exports backed by CephFS — mount from any VM in the **same project and datacenter**.

### Create a share

**new file share** — optional name, size (1–10240 GiB), datacenter.

### Mount

When state is `available`, the card shows a **copy** mount command, endpoint, and export path. Gateway rejects mounts from outside your tenant CIDR.

### Delete

Trash icon — same irreversible confirm as block disks. No resize UI on this page.

## Backups

**Storage → Backups** brings whole-VM and single-disk backups together for the project. The same backup controls are available inside a VM's **Backups** tab, scoped to that VM and its disks. Create a manual copy, browse history, restore, or configure automatic schedules with retention.

A single-disk backup can capture an attached or unattached disk. Restore creates a new disk in the same project, network and datacenter; it never overwrites the original. Whole-VM restore creates a new VM with every captured boot and data disk. New disks and VMs have their own charges and quota requirements. Backups are DC-local, not off-site disaster recovery.

See [VM lifecycle](https://metalhost.net/docs/dashboard/guides/vms-lifecycle.md) for consistency, browser-local schedules, and keep-N retention behavior.

## What's next

- [VM lifecycle](https://metalhost.net/docs/dashboard/guides/vms-lifecycle.md) — attach disks on VM detail.
- [Billing & usage](https://metalhost.net/docs/dashboard/guides/billing.md) — storage cost and disk quotas.