At-rest data
Information stored on a device, not actively being transferred over a network.
At-rest data is information that is saved and stored on a computer, server, or other device. Think of it like books on a shelf. The books are there, not actively being read or passed around.
When you save a document on your computer or a photo in cloud storage, that information is at rest. It only becomes 'in transit' when you send it in an email or upload it to a website.
At-rest data refers to information that is stored physically on a storage medium, such as a hard drive, solid-state drive, or database, and is not actively being transmitted over a network. This contrasts with data in transit, which is moving between systems. Protecting at-rest data typically involves encryption and access controls to prevent unauthorized access to stored information.
Recent announcements about data residency, like OpenAI's European offering, highlight the importance of how customer data is handled when it's stored. This involves ensuring data at rest meets specific geographic and security requirements for enterprise and API users.
- Introducing data residency in EuropeOpenAI · OpenAI News ·
- OpenAI ChatGPT
- OpenAI's introduction of European data residency for enterprise and API customers directly addresses how customer data is managed when it is at rest.
- Data in transit
- Data in transit is information that is actively moving across a
The concept of 'at rest' versus 'in transit' is fundamental to data security and networking, originating from early discussions on network protocols and data protection.
Save a document to your local computer. Then, send that same document to a friend via email. The version on your computer is at rest, while the version traveling through the internet is in transit.
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Questions people ask
- Is data in a database at rest?
- Yes, data stored within a database on a server is considered at-rest data until it is actively queried and transmitted to a user or another system.
- How is at-rest data protected?
- At-rest data is typically protected through measures like encryption, access control lists, and physical security of the storage devices.
First seen on Subvolts Feb 5, 2025. Updated Sep 15, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.