Your budget is the most fundamental factor to consider because, as mentioned above, a server would be much pricier than a NAS device. When selecting between NAS vs server, you’re supposed to consider the following aspects to decide which one is more suitable for your needs. Both NAS devices and servers provide a great way to share files across devices on a network.

NAS vs server topic has been discussed many times in forums. With NAS, data can be directly transmitted between the client and the storage device rather than through server RAM, which realizes faster response speed and bandwidth. In contrast, the NAS functions are relatively simple, which don't have a high demand for configuration.Ĭonnection: Different from servers that are always connected to disk arrays, NAS usually works stand-alone and rarely connected to other machines.Įfficiency: When it comes to storage efficiency, NAS works better than servers since it optimizes the hardware and software architecture of the system. In that way, servers can better meet end users' requirements for application provisioning. Besides, server operating systems often require companies to purchase a server license, which is also an expense.Ĭonfiguration: Due to the versatility, servers are configuration-demanding, requiring fast processor chips, more server RAM, and sufficient internal disk space. Price: Compared with NAS, servers require more power and are more expensive. However, as a data storage server, NAS does not provide several functions like a server, the main function of which is data storage. Some servers can even integrate multiple functions.

Although NAS and server share some similarities in sharing files across devices on a network, they do differ from each other in some respects.įunctio nality: A server can be configured to perform a variety of functions, such as working as file servers, print servers, application database servers, web server, etc.

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