# Connecting to Virtual File Systems

You can connect to most of your Virtual File Systems (VFS) through VFS connections in PDI. A VFS connection is a stored set of VFS properties that you can use to connect to a specific file system. In PDI, you can add a VFS connection and then reference that connection whenever you want to [access files or folders on your Virtual File System](https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/virtual-file-system-browser/open-a-transformation-task). For example, you can use the VFS connection for Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) in any of the HCP transformation steps without the need to repeatedly enter your credentialing information for data access.

With a VFS connection, you can set your VFS properties with a single instance that can be used multiple times. The VFS connection supports the following file system types:

* **Google Cloud Storage**

  The Google Cloud Storage file system. See [Google Cloud Storage](https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs) for more information on this protocol.
* **Snowflake Staging**

  A staging area used by Snowflake to load files. See [Snowflake staging area](https://docs.snowflake.net/) for more information on this protocol.
* **Amazon S3 / MinIO**
  * Simple Storage Service (S3) accesses the resources on Amazon Web Services. See [Working with AWS Credentials](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-java/v1/developer-guide/credentials.html) for Amazon S3 setup instructions.
  * MinIO accesses data objects on an Amazon compatible storage server. See the [MinIO Quickstart Guide](https://docs.min.io/docs/) for MinIO setup instructions.
* **HCP**

  The Hitachi Content Platform. You must configure HCP and PDI before accessing the platform. See [Access to HCP](https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/virtual-file-system-browser/before-you-begin-vfs-connections/access-to-hcp-rest) for more information.
* **Catalog**

  The Pentaho Data Catalog. You must configure PDI before accessing Data Catalog or its resources. See [Access to Pentaho Data Catalog](https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/virtual-file-system-browser/before-you-begin-vfs-connections/access-to-lumada-data-catalog) for more information.
* **Microsoft Azure**

  The Microsoft Azure Storage services. You must create an Azure account and configure Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 and Blob Storage. See [Access to Microsoft Azure](https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/virtual-file-system-browser/before-you-begin-vfs-connections/access-to-microsoft-azure) for more information.

After you create a VFS connection, you can use it with PDI steps and entries that support the use of VFS connections. The VFS connection is saved in the repository. If you are not connected to a repository, the connection is saved locally on the machine where it was created.

If a VFS connection in PDI is not available for your Virtual File System, you may be able to access it with the VFS browser. See [VFS browser](https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/virtual-file-system-browser/vfs-browser-connecting-to-virtual-file-systems) for further details.


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