RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a core technology that powers everything from personal NAS drives to enterprise-grade data centers. It enables you to combine multiple physical hard drives into a single system that improves performance, enhances data redundancy, or balances both. This blog post breaks down what RAID is, how the most common RAID levels work, and what their strengths and trade-offs are. Whether you are setting up your first home server or architecting high-availability infrastructure, understanding RAID is essential.