CEPH explained – distributed storage for high availability

CEPH is a distributed storage system that spreads data redundantly across many servers (nodes). Instead of a central storage server that can fail, all nodes together form resilient, scalable storage.

How does CEPH work?

Data is split into objects and, following fixed rules (the CRUSH algorithm), replicated multiple times across different nodes. If a node or disk fails, the data still exists on other nodes – and CEPH automatically rebuilds the missing replica (self-healing).

Why does it matter?

• No single points of failure: storage survives the loss of individual components.
• Horizontal scaling: need more capacity or performance? Just add nodes.
• Software-defined: no expensive proprietary storage appliance required.

CEPH in the Private Proxmox Cloud

Combined with Proxmox, CEPH forms the backbone of a highly available cloud: VMs run on the nodes, their data sits replicated in the CEPH cluster. If a node fails, the VMs restart on a healthy node – without data loss.

A CEPH cluster makes sense from three nodes. Learn more on our Private Proxmox Cloud & CEPH page or in our post What is a private Proxmox Cloud.