---
title: "Mount a volume on Linux"
description: "Format and mount an attached Block Storage volume on a Linux node, and keep the mount across a reboot."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "volumes"
platform: "MyAccount"
url: "/myaccount/volumes/how-to/mount-a-volume-on-linux/"
topic: ["create"]
relationships: {"requires":["/myaccount/volumes/how-to/attach-a-volume/"]}
---

# Mount a volume on Linux

After you attach a volume to a Linux node, it appears as a block device. To use it, you format
it with a file system (if it is empty) and mount it at a directory. Once mounted, everything
you write to that directory is stored on the volume. The examples assume the volume shows up as
`/dev/vdb` and your node's own root disk is `/dev/vda1`; your device names can differ, so check
them first.

## Before you begin

- A volume attached to the node. See [Attach a volume](/myaccount/volumes/how-to/attach-a-volume/).
- Access to the node over SSH.

## Find the volume's device name

On the node, list the block devices:

```bash
lsblk
```

The attached volume is the unmounted device, for example `/dev/vdb`. Check its device name
before doing anything else.

## Check whether the volume needs formatting

An empty volume has no file system and must be formatted; a volume created from a snapshot often
already has one. Check which you have:

```bash
sudo file -s /dev/vdb
```

If it prints `data`, the volume has no file system. If it prints a type such as `XFS` or `ext4`,
it is already formatted, skip the formatting step and do not format it again, or you erase its
data.

## Format the volume

An empty volume needs a file system. This example uses XFS; `ext4` also works if you prefer it.

```bash
sudo mkfs -t xfs /dev/vdb
```

Formatting erases all data on the volume. Run it only on an empty volume, never on one created
from a snapshot or one that already holds data. If the command is not found, install the XFS
utilities: `sudo yum install -y xfsprogs`, or on Ubuntu `sudo apt install -y xfsprogs`.

## Mount the volume

1. Create a directory to mount it at, for example `/data`:

   ```bash
   sudo mkdir /data
   ```

2. Mount the volume to that directory:

   ```bash
   sudo mount /dev/vdb /data
   ```

3. Confirm the mount:

   ```bash
   df -h
   ```

You can read and write to `/data` now, and the volume stores it.

## Keep the mount across a reboot

To keep the mount across reboots, add it to `/etc/fstab` by the device's UUID.

1. Find the UUID:

   ```bash
   sudo blkid /dev/vdb
   ```

   The output shows a line like
   `UUID="e7c5b2f2-..." TYPE="xfs"`. Copy the UUID value.

2. Edit `/etc/fstab`:

   ```bash
   sudo nano /etc/fstab
   ```

3. Add a line at the end, using your own UUID and mount point:

   ```text
   UUID=e7c5b2f2-8b2a-4e13-b9a9-bb3f122a91f1   /data   xfs   defaults,nofail   0   2
   ```

4. Apply the configuration and check for errors:

   ```bash
   sudo mount -a
   ```

If `mount -a` prints no errors, the setup is correct. Reboot the node and run `df -h` again to
confirm `/data` mounts automatically.

The volume is mounted and stays mounted across reboots. When you later detach it, unmount it and remove its `/etc/fstab` line first; see [Detach a volume](/myaccount/volumes/how-to/detach-a-volume/). If it will not mount, see [Troubleshooting Volumes](/myaccount/volumes/troubleshooting/volumes/).