juniorHadoop

What is block size in HDFS?

Updated May 16, 2026

Short answer

Block size is the unit in which HDFS stores data.

Deep explanation

Large block sizes reduce metadata overhead and improve throughput.

Real-world example

128MB or 256MB blocks for big data files.

Common mistakes

  • Using small block sizes for large datasets.

Follow-up questions

  • Default block size?
  • Why large blocks?

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