Comparison
Container disk
The container disk provides temporary storage for the operating system and session data. It’s created when a launches and is cleared when the Pod stops. Use it for temporary files, caches, and data that doesn’t need to persist between sessions.Volume disk
The volume disk provides persistent storage that is retained throughout the Pod’s lease. Data stored in the/workspace directory survives Pod stops and restarts, but is deleted when the Pod is terminated. This is ideal for storing models, datasets, and checkpoints that you need to access across multiple sessions.
Encrypted volumes
You can encrypt your volume disk to protect sensitive data. When encryption is enabled, the volume is encrypted at rest on the host machine, and only your Pod can access the data. To enable encryption when creating a Pod, select the Encrypt volume checkbox in the Pod creation flow.Encryption applies only to volume disk. Container disk and network volumes cannot be encrypted.
Network volume
Network volumes provide permanent storage that exists independently from any Pod. You can attach a network volume to multiple Pods, transfer it between machines, and retain your data even after deleting a Pod. This makes network volumes ideal for shared datasets, collaborative workflows, and portable storage. Network volumes are available in two tiers:- Standard storage: Cost-effective for general-purpose work.
- High-performance storage: Premium tier with up to 3x throughput and 4x IOPS for demanding workloads.
Network volumes must be attached during Pod creation and cannot be detached later. When attached, the network volume replaces the volume disk at
/workspace.Global volume
Global volumes provide elastic, region-independent storage that any Pod can mount, regardless of data center. Capacity grows with the data you store, so there is no capacity to provision upfront, and the volume persists when a Pod is stopped or deleted. Global volumes are optimized for workloads that write infrequently and read often, such as model serving and inference. They are not a replacement for network volumes, which are better suited to workloads with frequent writes such as training and checkpointing. Learn more about global volumes.A Pod supports one global volume and one network volume at a time. When both are attached at their default mount paths, the global volume mounts at
/workspace-global and the network volume mounts at /workspace.Modify storage capacity
You can adjust your Pod’s storage capacity at any time:- Navigate to the Pods page.
- Click the three dots next to your Pod and select Edit Pod.
- Adjust the container or volume disk size. Note that volume disk size can only be increased, not decreased.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
Transfer data
You can export data from your Pod to external cloud providers including AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure, and Dropbox. Click the Cloud Sync button on the Pod page to get started. For detailed instructions, see Export data.Runpod is not designed for long-term cloud storage. We recommend backing up critical data to your local machine or a dedicated cloud storage provider.
Next steps
Create a network volume
Learn how to set up portable, persistent storage for your Pods.
Transfer files
Learn how to move data to and from your Pod.