Is the object store required for ArcGIS Enterprise?

Yes. Beginning with ArcGIS Enterprise 11.4 (on Windows and Linux), the object store is a required component of a base ArcGIS Enterprise deployment. It can be configured using the ArcGIS Data Store or, for cloud deployments in the AWS or Azure cloud, through Amazon S3 or Azure Blob Storage.

The object store plays a critical role in supporting hosted web layers and other system functions by storing associated data such as hosted 3D layer caches, cached query responses, and more. Without it, organizations cannot take full advantage of the capabilities ArcGIS Enterprise is designed to deliver, leading to functional limitations, unexpected behavior, and the potential for a diminished user experience.

For this reason, organization administrators must configure an object store with their hosting server after upgrading to ArcGIS Enterprise 11.4 or later. As with all ArcGIS Data Store types, it is recommended that each type be configured on a separate machine to ensure optimal performance and prevent potential resource contention. That said, if your organization does not anticipate publishing many hosted 3D layers, it is acceptable to configure the object store on the same machine as the relational store, provided the machine meets the combined system requirements for both data store types.