Run out of space without running out of options.
You create a volume, attach it, mount it, and your machine has more room. You grow it later without rebuilding anything and without moving to a bigger plan you do not actually need.
VPS VDS
The disk it was built with, and the space you add
Every machine ships with its own disk, sized by its plan. A volume acts as separate storage you attach on top of that, bearing its own size, its own format and its own life. You delete the machine without deleting the data.
- The volume keeps its data when you detach it from one machine.
- Turn on automount and the disk appears after every reboot.
- You choose the filesystem or leave it unformatted to handle it yourself.
- It appears at a stable path, so your fstab entry never drifts.
What a volume is made of
You see six facts directly in the console.
| Name | Yours to choose, so you can tell two volumes apart |
|---|---|
| Size | What you asked for, and what your renewal is based on |
| Format | ext4, xfs, or unformatted if you want to handle it yourself |
| Automount | Set to on, and it mounts for you after a reboot |
| Device path | /dev/disk/by-id/…, remaining stable across reboots |
| Location | The region the volume lives in, which matches the machine |
What you can do to one
You get four moves, plus one rule worth knowing before you plan your setup.
- Create and format
Pick a name, a size and a filesystem. The volume lands in the machine's own region so you can actually attach it to that server.
- Attach and mount
Attach it to the machine and turn on automount. It mounts at its device path without you editing anything by hand.
- Grow it
Raise the size when you need more room. The volume stays attached and your data stays exactly where it is.
- Detach or delete
Detach it to move it, or delete it when you finish using it. Detaching leaves the data intact, while deleting wipes it.
A volume grows and never shrinks. The console refuses a size at or below the current one, rather than accepting it and losing the end of your filesystem. Plan your increases and treat a reduction as a new volume plus a copy.
Block-storage volumes are a paid add-on you switch on for a machine. The price joins that server's own renewal, so your extra space never turns into a separate invoice for you to chase.
Frequently asked questions
Can I shrink a volume?
No, and the console blocks the attempt rather than letting it through. Shrinking a live filesystem is exactly how data goes missing. Instead, you create a smaller volume, copy what you need across, and delete the old one.
Does a volume survive if I rebuild the machine?
Yes. A rebuild replaces the machine's own disk. A volume acts as separate storage, so it sits waiting to mount when the machine comes back.
Can I move a volume to another server?
Yes, within the same region. Detach it from one machine and attach it to another. The data goes with it.
Do I have to format it myself?
Only if you want to. Choose ext4 or xfs and it formats for you. Leave it unformatted and it arrives as a raw device for you to handle.
Is this available on a dedicated server?
No. Attachable volumes run on the cloud fabric under a VPS or a VDS. A dedicated server stores data on the physical disks inside it, which you size when you place the order.
More in the server console
Start with the plan, add the space later
Pick the machine you need today. The room you need for next year is just a volume away.