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SPECIFICTION
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Gluster

gluster.org

Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
Visit gluster.org
Spec score 7.9 #10 of 30 in Software-Defined Storage Software

What it is

Gluster is free, open-source distributed file-system software for Linux and self-hosted deployments. It combines disk storage from multiple servers into one global namespace, with the project describing scale to several petabytes and thousands of clients. Gluster is POSIX compatible and can use on-disk filesystems supporting extended attributes. Listed capabilities include replication, quotas, geo-replication, snapshots, bitrot detection, and erasure coding. Access options include native GlusterFS, NFS, SMB/CIFS, iSCSI, and a Swift REST API. The project describes workloads such as media streaming, data analysis, and other data- and bandwidth-intensive tasks. Capacity, performance, and availability can scale across on-premise, public-cloud, and hybrid environments, using common off-the-shelf hardware. Installation resources include source downloads and Ubuntu PPAs, while documentation covers AWS deployment, SSL, and access-control lists. The project points users to consultancies for additional support and notes that Red Hat does not support community versions.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Gluster is a scalable, distributed file system that aggregates disk storage from multiple servers into a single global namespace.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Intended users
The project says Gluster is used in production at organizations in media, healthcare, government, education, web 2.0, and financial services.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Deployment
The documentation describes scaling capacity, performance, and availability across on-premise, public cloud, and hybrid environments.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Security
Gluster documentation includes an SSL guide and access-control-list administration guidance.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Support
The project points users to consultancies for design, performance, and additional support; Red Hat says it does not support community versions.Read 2 Oct 2026 · gluster.org
Cloud integration
The documentation includes a guide for deploying Gluster in AWS.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Compatibility
Gluster is POSIX compatible and can use any on-disk filesystem that supports extended attributes.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Data features
The project lists replication, quotas, geo-replication, snapshots, and bitrot detection among Gluster's capabilities.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Hardware
Gluster can be built using common off-the-shelf hardware.Read 2 Oct 2026 · gluster.org
Installation
The official install page provides source downloads and links to Ubuntu PPAs for Linux packages.Read 2 Oct 2026 · gluster.org
Protocols
The documentation lists NFS and SMB as standard protocols for accessing Gluster.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Scale
The project says Gluster scales to several petabytes and handles thousands of clients.Read 2 Oct 2026 · docs.gluster.org
Workloads
The project describes Gluster as suitable for media streaming, data analysis, and other data- and bandwidth-intensive tasks.Read 2 Oct 2026 · gluster.org

Plans and prices

Gluster Free Free and open source software Read 2 Oct 2026 · gluster.org

Every Gluster plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free and open-source software
  • Scales to several petabytes and thousands of clients
  • POSIX compatibility with common filesystems
  • Replication, snapshots, quotas, and geo-replication
  • On-premise, cloud, and hybrid deployment

Limits

  • Linux and self-hosted platforms only
  • Red Hat does not support community versions
  • Additional support comes through consultancies
  • Requires managing distributed infrastructure

Who it suits

It suits organizations needing distributed storage across Linux or self-hosted infrastructure. The listed workloads and deployment models fit teams managing large, replicated data environments.

Verdict

Gluster provides a free distributed namespace with multiple protocols, replication features, and deployment choices. Teams should plan for self-managed Linux operations and obtain outside support when needed.

Where Specifiction places it

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