Definition
Data deduplication is a data optimization technique that eliminates redundant or duplicate copies of data to reduce storage requirements and improve efficiency.
How Data Deduplication Works
The system detects and eliminates identical segments or blocks to store only one copy of each data segment. Then, it creates a reference to the single stored copy. The system uses these references to reconstruct the original data when data it needs to access or retrieve the data.
Types of Data Deduplication
- File-level deduplication: It detects duplicate files and retains only a single copy, removing redundancies across the storage system.
- Block-level deduplication: It breaks down files into smaller blocks or chunks. Duplicate blocks are detected and stored only once.
- Variable-length deduplication: It detects and eliminates duplicate data at variable lengths, removing duplicates of any size.
Data Deduplication Benefits
- Deduplication minimizes the volume of data that requires backup or restoration, resulting in faster operations and shorter recovery times.
- Organizations can save significant storage space by removing redundant data.