ZeroFS Documentation
ZeroFS exposes S3-compatible, Azure Blob Storage, or Google Cloud Storage through filesystem mounts and NBD block devices. Stock NFS and Linux 9P clients need no ZeroFS-specific software. On supported Linux kernels, the native kernel client is the fastest mount option; the bundled FUSE client works across a wider range and mounts without root. The server itself runs in userspace.
What ZeroFS does
ZeroFS keeps filesystem data and metadata in the configured object store and uses local disk only for caching. Every protocol reaches the same filesystem.
- Filesystem behavior is tested continuously with pjdfstest, xfstests, crash injection, and model-based simulation. See Durability and consistency.
- Separate metadata and data paths handle namespace operations independently from immutable file-data segments.
- No external database service; data and metadata live in the object store.
- Encrypted before upload: every block is compressed, then encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305, with no unencrypted mode.
Guides
Encryption & Security
Encryption formats, key wrapping, local caches, and password changes.
Resources
Quickstart
Install ZeroFS, generate a configuration, start the server, and mount the filesystem.
NFS File Access
Mount ZeroFS over NFSv3 from macOS, Linux, or Windows.
9P File Access
Mount through stock Linux v9fs or the bundled FUSE client.
Native Kernel Client
Mount through the DKMS-built native module.
Client Libraries
Use path-based filesystem operations from Python, TypeScript, or Go without mounting.
NBD Block Devices
Attach files under .nbd as Linux block devices for filesystems, volume managers, or VM disks.
Kubernetes CSI Driver
Dynamically provisioned persistent volumes backed by a shared ZeroFS gateway, mounted over 9P.