What are Inodes and why are they limited when it comes to web hosting?

An inode forms the basis for managing the file system of your web hosting. Every file, every email, and every directory (folder) is identified within the file system by a unique inode number. In Unix-like operating systems, such as those used on web hosting servers, directories (folders) are treated as files.

A file always requires an inode, regardless of how much storage space the file requires. One hundred files, each 1MB in size, require 100 inodes, while a single file with 100MB requires only one inode.

The more inodes that are managed on your web hosting, the more system resources are required. Listing a directory with 10,000 inodes takes longer than listing a directory with 100 inodes.

To ensure high-performance storage access in daily operations as well as during backups and restores, the inodes included in your web hosting package are tailored to the resources of your package.

You can find out how many inodes are included in your web hosting package in this FAQ article.