A hard disk drive (HDD) is a type of data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information. It consists of one or more spinning disks (platters) coated with magnetic material, and a read/write head that moves across the platters to read and write data.
HDDs have been widely used in computer systems for decades and are still widely used for data storage in desktop and laptop computers, servers, and external hard drives. They are known for their high storage capacity and low cost per gigabyte of storage compared to solid-state drives (SSDs).
HDDs use mechanical parts to read and write data, and as a result, they are slower and have higher latency than SSDs. They are also more susceptible to physical shock, vibration, and wear and tear compared to SSDs. Despite these limitations, HDDs are still a popular choice for data storage due to their high storage capacity and low cost.
In summary, a hard disk drive (HDD) is a type of data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information. HDDs are known for their high storage capacity and low cost per gigabyte, but are slower and have higher latency compared to solid-state drives (SSDs).