---
title: "TIR Block Storage"
description: "TIR Block Storage is a disk of a size you choose that you mount on a TIR Instance or Virtual Machine to read and write like a local disk."
content_type: "overview"
product: "tir-block-storage"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-block-storage/"
---

# TIR Block Storage

A Block Storage disk is a disk of the size you choose that you mount on a TIR Instance or Virtual
Machine, which reads and writes it like a local disk. Use it for work that writes into its folder:
downloading and unpacking data, transforming it, scratch space, a cache in front of a larger Object
Storage dataset, and checkpoints written during training. The portal labels it **Block Storage (Disk
Dataset)** in the side menu and a **Dataset** on its screens.

A disk appears in the instance at `/datasets/<name>`, where `<name>` is the disk's **Dataset Name**, and
data goes in and out through the instance that mounts it. You can make it bigger whenever your data grows.

| Storage                                        | Choose it when                                                                         |
| ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Block Storage                                  | One instance reads and writes the data, like a local disk                              |
| [TIR Object Storage](/tir/tir-object-storage/) | Many workloads read the same data, or you want S3 tools, versioning, or presigned URLs |
| [Shared File System](/tir/tir-sfs/)            | Several instances read and write the same files together                               |
| [Parallel File System](/tir/tir-pfs/)          | Many workers read and write at high throughput, such as large training runs            |

To work with disks from code, see the [Dataset section of the TIR API reference](/api/tir/storage/dataset/).

## Where to find it

In TIR, open your project. In the side menu, under **Storage**, select **Block Storage (Disk
Dataset)**. You see the disks of the current project and region.

## What you can do

### Create and connect

- [Create a disk](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/create-a-disk/) with a name, a size, and optional
  encryption.
- [Mount a disk on an instance](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/mount-a-disk-on-an-instance/) to use
  it from a TIR Instance or Virtual Machine.
- [Put data on a disk](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/put-data-on-a-disk/), including data from an
  Object Storage dataset.
- [Unmount a disk from an instance](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/unmount-a-disk-from-an-instance/)
  to free it for another instance.

### Lifecycle

- [Find and view your disks](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/find-and-view-your-disks/) to see each
  disk's status, size, and encryption.
- [Increase the size of a disk](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/increase-the-size-of-a-disk/) as your
  data grows.
- [Request a higher disk size limit](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/request-a-higher-disk-size-limit/)
  when a disk reaches your limit.
- [Delete a disk](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/delete-a-disk/) when you have finished with it.

## Where to start

Start with [Get started with TIR Block Storage](/tir/tir-block-storage/get-started/), which creates
a disk, mounts it on an instance, and puts a file on it. When you see a message,
[Troubleshooting TIR Block Storage](/tir/tir-block-storage/troubleshooting/tir-block-storage/) has the fixes. The
[TIR Block Storage FAQ](/tir/tir-block-storage/faq/) has short answers on size, billing, and which
products take a disk.