Disclosed herein are a metadata server and a method for distributing metadata in units of directories using the metadata server. The method includes receiving a request for at least one of creation, deletion and retrieval from a user file system; acquiring an inode corresponding to an identifier of a parent inode, which is included in the request; searching the parent inode for a dentry corresponding to the request when the request is a request to create a directory; selecting a secondary metadata server in which a new directory is to be created in order to distribute metadata in units of directories; requesting the selected secondary metadata server to create an inode; receiving an identifier of the created inode from the secondary metadata server; and adding a new dentry to the parent inode using the identifier of the inode.