# How RAID Levels Work (and Which One to Pick)

- Link: https://dbr-soft.com/how-raid-levels-work-and-which-one-to-pick/
- Published: 2026-10-13T20:29:34+00:00
- Author: David Botero

RAID combines multiple drives into one logical unit for speed, redundancy, or both.

**The common levels**

**RAID 0 – Striping**

Spreads data across drives for speed. No redundancy: if one drive fails, everything
is lost. Never use for important data.

**RAID 1 – Mirroring**

Two drives hold identical data. Survives one drive failure. Simple and reliable,
but you get only half the capacity.

**RAID 5 – Striping with parity**

Needs at least three drives and survives one failure. Good capacity efficiency, 
but slower writes and risky with very large drives due to long rebuild times.

**RAID 6 – Double parity**

Needs at least four drives and survives two failures. Safer than RAID 5 for large
arrays, with some write performance cost.

**RAID 10 – Mirrored stripes**

Needs at least four drives. Combines speed and redundancy, and is often the best
choice for databases and virtualization. Costs 50% of raw capacity.

**Quick guide**

| **Use** | **Common choice** | 
| Small server, OS drives | RAID 1 | 
| File server, moderate capacity | RAID 6 | 
| Databases, virtual machines | RAID 10 | 
| Temporary scratch data | RAID 0 |

**Critical reminders**

– **RAID is not a backup.** It doesn’t protect against deletion, corruption, ransomware,
or fire.

– Replace failed drives immediately and use hot spares if possible.

– Monitor array health and alerts.

– Use matching enterprise-grade drives where possible.

**DBR Soft configures resilient storage and backup solutions tailored to your risks.****
[Contact us for more information.](https://dbr-soft.com/contact/)**

 * [⌊Massive Binance Breach: $6.3 Billion Drained in History’s Largest Crypto Heist⌉⌊
   Massive Binance Breach: $6.3 Billion Drained in History’s Largest Crypto Heist⌉[
 * [Cybersecurity](https://dbr-soft.com/category/cybersecurity/), [IT News](https://dbr-soft.com/category/it-news/)
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Massive Binance Breach: $6.3 Billion Drained in History’s Largest Crypto Heist](https://dbr-soft.com/massive-binance-breach-6-3-billion-drained-in-historys-largest-crypto-heist/)󠁿
   
 * Binance has halted all user withdrawals following a devastating “complex attack”
   that drained approximately $6.3…
 * [⌊David Botero Avatar⌉⌊David Botero Avatar⌉[
 * [David Botero](https://dbr-soft.com/author/dave/)
 * Oct 30, 2026
 * [⌊Epic Games Goes All-In on AI Acceleration for Fortnite and Unreal Engine 6⌉⌊
   Epic Games Goes All-In on AI Acceleration for Fortnite and Unreal Engine 6⌉[
 * [Artificial Intelligence](https://dbr-soft.com/category/artificial-intelligence/),
   [Gaming News](https://dbr-soft.com/category/gaming-news/), [Trends](https://dbr-soft.com/category/trends/)
 * 
   ### 󠀁[Epic Games Goes All-In on AI Acceleration for Fortnite and Unreal Engine 6](https://dbr-soft.com/epic-games-goes-all-in-on-ai-acceleration-for-fortnite-and-unreal-engine-6/)󠁿
   
 * CHICAGO — Epic Games is no longer just experimenting with artificial intelligence;
   they are rewriting…
 * [⌊David Botero Avatar⌉⌊David Botero Avatar⌉[
 * [David Botero](https://dbr-soft.com/author/dave/)
 * Oct 30, 2026
 * [⌊The Dawn of Optical Computing: How Akhetonics is Building the First All-Optical
   Processor⌉⌊The Dawn of Optical Computing: How Akhetonics is Building the First
   All-Optical Processor⌉[
 * [Artificial Intelligence](https://dbr-soft.com/category/artificial-intelligence/),
   [Hardware](https://dbr-soft.com/category/hardware/), [Innovation](https://dbr-soft.com/category/innovation/)
 * 
   ### 󠀁[The Dawn of Optical Computing: How Akhetonics is Building the First All-Optical Processor](https://dbr-soft.com/the-dawn-of-optical-computing-how-akhetonics-is-building-the-first-all-optical-processor/)󠁿
   
 * As artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and massive data centers push 
   the limits of modern technology,…
 * [⌊David Botero Avatar⌉⌊David Botero Avatar⌉[
 * [David Botero](https://dbr-soft.com/author/dave/)
 * Oct 29, 2026

[View All](https://dbr-soft.com/how-raid-levels-work-and-which-one-to-pick/#extendify-blog)