node - a host machine running one or more OpenStack Object Storage services Proxy node - node that runs Proxy services Storage node - node that runs Account, Container, and Object services Ring - a set of mappings of OpenStack Object Storage data to physical devices Replica - a copy of an object. The default is to keep 3 copies in the cluster. Zone - a logically separate section of the cluster, related to independent failure characteristics. To increase reliability and performance, you may want to add additional proxy servers. This document describes each storage node as a separate zone in the ring. It is recommended to have a minimum of 5 zones. A zone is a group of nodes that is as isolated as possible from other nodes (separate servers, network, power, even geography). The ring guarantees that every replica is stored in a separate zone. This diagram shows one possible configuration for a minimal installation.