From my understanding, CDs are actually quite prone to damage because the layer that stores the data is actually on the "label" side of the CD. Anything that damages the label can also damage the data layer just underneath.
DVDs moved the data layer into the middle - sandwiched between two layers of plastic, Blu-rays move it to the surface opposite the label, but add a protective coating to try to keep it from getting damaged[1]. I think DVDs are actually the least prone to permanent damage from scratches because of their sandwich structure - surface scratches can often be buffed out. However all 3 can also progressively rust if damage exposes the recording layer to air[2].
Yeah my experience with physical media from the cassette age to now is that CDs are by far the most finnicky of the physical medias. Any little scratch or gunk leads to skipping and bad playback. I can count on one hand how few DVDs I've seen that had problems, and I've never seen a blu-ray that ever failed to play.
I was archiving / ISO'ing my CDs/DVDs last month. So many of them weren't even recognized as a disk. Many had read errors. The disks were in proper form.
Did the same for my 3.5" floppy disks. None of those had problems
It's important to mention the durability of the medium is very different when you compare writables to pressed, and there's a large variance in quality for writeables, particularly now that lots of old stock (with a history of non-favourable storage conditions) is intemixed with demand being low.
If you really value your data, use archive disks. They are costly, but they will actually reach their rated lifespan, often of 50-100 years.
You should note that if you were using Windows 10, it sometimes has problems with old CD-ROMs. If you rip the disk, it reads fine, but Windows Explorer doesn't understand the filesystem and reports the disk as a DVD-R or something
DVDs moved the data layer into the middle - sandwiched between two layers of plastic, Blu-rays move it to the surface opposite the label, but add a protective coating to try to keep it from getting damaged[1]. I think DVDs are actually the least prone to permanent damage from scratches because of their sandwich structure - surface scratches can often be buffed out. However all 3 can also progressively rust if damage exposes the recording layer to air[2].
[1] https://www.cdrom2go.com/blu-ray-information
[2] https://blog.discogs.com/en/say-no-to-disc-rot-how-to-look-a...