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SPECIFICTION
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BeeGFS

beegfs.io

Free plan LinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.2 #5 of 28 in Storage Management Software

What it is

BeeGFS is a parallel file system for high-performance computing, AI, and other data-intensive workloads. Its user-space services run over filesystems such as ext4, XFS, and ZFS, with metadata spread across multiple servers. It is designed to scale performance and capacity from small clusters to enterprise systems with thousands of nodes. Native client and server components are available for Linux across x86_64, AMD, ARM, OpenPower, and other CPU architectures. BeeGFS 8 Remote Storage Targets synchronize with S3 object storage, while BeeGFS Copy supports parallel copying among BeeGFS and other locally mounted file systems. System-wide monitoring and Grafana dashboards provide views of performance and system health. Hive Enterprise adds high availability, metadata and file-content mirroring, quota enforcement, and tiered storage pools. The Community Edition is free up to 1 PB of total storage and is for self-supported end users; its BeeOND use is limited to five compute nodes contributing storage. Capacity beyond 1 PB requires a subscription license. BeeGFS is available for Linux, API, and self-hosted deployment.

Spec sheet

Purpose
BeeGFS is a parallel file system designed for high-performance computing, AI, and other data-intensive workloads.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Intended users
ThinkParQ describes its target environments as HPC, AI and deep learning, life sciences, and oil and gas.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Integrations
BeeGFS 8 Remote Storage Targets synchronize with S3 object storage, while BeeGFS Copy supports parallel copying with BeeGFS and other locally mounted file systems.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Security
BeeGFS repositories and packages are digitally signed, and its documentation describes TLS encryption for some network communication by default.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Support
Hive Enterprise includes professional support, and BeeOND Enterprise lists 5×9 Next Business Day support with 24x7x4 available upon request.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Headquarters
Kaiserslautern, GermanyRead 28 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Founded
2014Read 28 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Maker
ThinkParQ GmbH was founded in 2014 as a spin-out of the Fraunhofer Center for High-Performance Computing in Germany.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Architecture
Its user-space services run over filesystems such as ext4, XFS, and ZFS, with metadata distributed across multiple servers.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Community license limit
The Community Edition is free for up to 1 PB of total storage, and exceeding that threshold requires a subscription-based license.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Community use restriction
The Community Edition is for self-supported end users; commercial third-party services and system integration offerings require Enterprise licensing.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Enterprise features
Hive Enterprise includes high availability, metadata and file-content mirroring, quota enforcement, and storage pools with tiering.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Linux support
The native BeeGFS client and server components are available for Linux on x86_64, AMD, ARM, OpenPower, and other CPU architectures.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Monitoring
BeeGFS provides system-wide monitoring and Grafana dashboards to inspect system performance and health.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Scale
BeeGFS can scale performance and capacity from small clusters to enterprise systems with thousands of nodes.Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io

Plans and prices

Community Edition Free up to 1 PB total storage · BeeOND up to 5 compute nodes contributing storage · self-supported end users Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io
Hive Enterprise Priced on request unlimited capacity · professional support contract · high availability · mirroring · quota enforcement · storage pools Read 30 Sep 2026 · beegfs.io

Every BeeGFS plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Scales from small clusters to systems with thousands of nodes.
  • Linux components support multiple CPU architectures.
  • Monitoring includes system-wide views and Grafana dashboards.
  • Community Edition is free up to 1 PB.
  • Hive Enterprise includes mirroring and quota enforcement.

Limits

  • More than 1 PB requires a subscription license.
  • Community Edition is for self-supported end users.
  • Community BeeOND use is limited to five compute nodes.

Who it suits

BeeGFS suits organizations running HPC, AI, deep learning, life sciences, or oil and gas workloads. Community Edition is for self-supported end users, while Hive Enterprise includes professional support.

Verdict

BeeGFS offers a Linux parallel file system with distributed metadata, monitoring, and optional enterprise features. The 1 PB Community Edition ceiling and self-support restriction are important licensing boundaries.

Where Specifiction places it

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