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title: Volume Mount and Data Persistence
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# Storage Mounts & Data Persistence on Instances

> Instances provide built-in data persistence for your working directory, and support mounting external storage volumes for larger datasets, shared data, and high-performance workloads.

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## Data Persistence

By default, only files stored in `/home/jovyan` are preserved when a node is stopped and restarted. Files saved outside this directory are not retained unless they are stored on a mounted volume. Additionally, any packages installed manually within the node need to be reinstalled after a restart.

| Location | Data Persists on Restart |
|---|---|
| `/home/jovyan` | Yes |
| Elsewhere in the container | No |
| Mounted volumes (`/datasets/`) | Yes (managed separately) |

:::tip
Use a [custom container image](./Node_Own_Container.md) if you need packages to persist — rebuilding the image is more reliable than reinstalling on every restart.
:::

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## Volume Mounts

Volumes let you attach external storage to your instance. Common use cases:

- Access large datasets without re-downloading them each session
- Persist files outside `/home/jovyan`
- Share data across multiple instances

All mounted volumes are accessible at `/datasets/<dataset-name>` inside the instance.

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## Storage Types

### EOS (E2E Object Store)

Best suited for large datasets that need to be shared or accessed across multiple instances.

- Mounted as **read-only**
- Supports **multiple instances simultaneously**

#### Mount EOS

**During instance creation:**
1. In the **Datasets** section, select your EOS dataset(s).
2. Complete instance creation — the dataset mounts automatically.
<br></br>
**After instance creation:**
1. Open the instance and go to **Associated Datasets**.
2. Select the dataset(s) and click **Mount**.

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### Disk (High-Performance Disk)

Best suited for workloads that require fast, low-latency storage access.

- Mounted as **read-write**
- Supports only **one instance at a time**

#### Mount Disk

**During instance creation:**
1. In the **Datasets** section, select your disk dataset.
2. Complete instance creation — the dataset mounts automatically.

**After instance creation:**
1. Open the instance and go to **Associated Datasets**.
2. Select the dataset and click **Mount**.

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## Access Modes Summary

| Storage Type | Access Mode | Multi-Instance |
|---|---|---|
| EOS | Read-only | Yes |
| Disk | Read-write | No (single instance) |

:::info
All datasets mount at `/datasets/<dataset-name>` inside the instance.
:::


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