Mastering Distributed Storage: Architectural Design, Performance Analysis, and Cost Analysis of Modern Distributed File Systems: HDFS and NFS

As data storage and management demands grow, distributed file systems (DFS) have become critical for large-scale data handling. This paper discusses two of the most widely used DFSs: Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and Network File System (NFS). We discuss some of the key concepts like data distribution, replication strategies, and consistency models; then we present a comparison between their architectures and operational characteristics. The results of the assessment show our metrics of throughput, latency, and scalability under different workloads, pointing out that HDFS is optimized for big data applications while NFS is more suited for traditional file sharing. Moreover, we present a cost analysis by assessing initial setup and operational costs to detail financial implications of each system and hence advise organizations on the basis of performance and cost-effectiveness in making informed decisions.