A cluster based file service may operate on a cluster of two or more independent devices that have access to a common data storage. The file service may have a namespace definition with each device in the cluster, but may be modified by any device operating the file service. Each instance of the file service may identify and capture a command that changes the namespace structure and cause the change to be propagated to the other members of cluster. If one of the devices in the cluster does not successfully perform an update to the namespace structure, that device may be brought offline. The cluster based file service may permit adding or removing devices from the cluster while the file service is operating, and may provide a high throughput and high availability file service.