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SPECIFICTION
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OpenEBS

openebs.io

Free plan LinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit openebs.io
Spec score 8.2 #7 of 30 in Software-Defined Storage Software

What it is

OpenEBS is open-source Kubernetes storage software for developers and platform SREs deploying stateful workloads. It turns storage on Kubernetes worker nodes into local or distributed persistent volumes and operates in userspace rather than relying on Linux kernel-dependent software. Its engines include Replicated PV Mayastor and local volumes using Hostpath, LVM, ZFS, or experimental Rawfile. Mayastor can synchronously replicate volumes across Kubernetes zones. Kubernetes-native operations provide copy-on-write snapshots and clones, while Velero plugins support backup and restore to AWS S3, GCP Object Storage, or MinIO. Volumes expose metrics including IOPS, throughput, latency, and traffic patterns for Prometheus and Grafana. OpenEBS also exposes declarative APIs through Kubernetes custom resources and can be installed with Helm 3.2 or newer. Mayastor disk pools support data-at-rest encryption with user-defined AES-XTS keys. Listed use cases include self-managed databases, observability stacks, CI/CD, object storage, websites, and ML pipelines. Mayastor DiskPools are limited to one block device, and encryption keys cannot be rotated.

Spec sheet

Purpose
OpenEBS provides local or distributed persistent volumes for Kubernetes stateful workloads.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
API
OpenEBS exposes declarative APIs through Kubernetes custom resources.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Integrations
OpenEBS documents integrations with Prometheus, Grafana, Alert Manager, ELK, Loki, Logstash, Velero, OpenShift, EKS, DigitalOcean, Rancher, MicroK8s, and KubeSphere.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Security
Replicated PV Mayastor REST API TLS is available but security features are opt-in and plaintext communication remains the default.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Support
Users can file GitHub issues or ask questions in the Kubernetes Slack #openebs channel.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Architecture
OpenEBS operates exclusively in userspace, avoiding Linux kernel-dependent software.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Audience and use cases
OpenEBS is used for self-managed databases, observability stacks, CI/CD, object storage and scalable websites or ML pipelines on Kubernetes.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Backup
OpenEBS backup and restore works with Velero through OpenEBS Velero plugins and can target AWS S3, GCP Object Storage, or MinIO.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Backup integrations
OpenEBS volume backup and restore works with Velero and object-storage targets including AWS S3, GCP Object Storage and MinIO.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Container-native storage
OpenEBS is an open-source implementation of the Container Native Storage pattern and uses Kubernetes to orchestrate volume services.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Current limitation
Replicated PV Mayastor DiskPools are limited to a single block device and data-encryption keys cannot be rotated.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Encryption
OpenEBS supports data-at-rest encryption for Mayastor disk pools using user-defined AES-XTS keys.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Governance
OpenEBS was originally built by MayaData, donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and is a CNCF sandbox project.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Installation
OpenEBS can be installed with Helm, and the default chart installs Local PV Hostpath, Local PV LVM, Local PV ZFS and Replicated Storage.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Observability
OpenEBS volumes expose IOPS, throughput, latency and data-pattern metrics for Prometheus and Grafana monitoring.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Open source
The OpenEBS homepage describes the project as 100% open source.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Platform limitation
The OpenEBS kubectl plugin is available for Linux.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Replication
Replicated Storage can synchronously replicate volumes across Kubernetes zones for high availability.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Snapshots and clones
Replicated Storage supports instantaneous copy-on-write snapshots and clones managed with standard kubectl commands.Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Storage engines
OpenEBS v4.6 includes Replicated PV Mayastor, Local PV Hostpath, Local PV LVM, Local PV ZFS, and experimental Local PV Rawfile.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io
Storage types
OpenEBS turns storage on Kubernetes worker nodes into local or distributed Kubernetes persistent volumes.Read 1 Oct 2026 · openebs.io

Plans and prices

OpenEBS open source Free Open source · Kubernetes storage Read 2 Oct 2026 · openebs.io

Every OpenEBS plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Offers local and distributed persistent volumes
  • Mayastor supports synchronous zone replication
  • Supports copy-on-write snapshots and clones
  • Velero backup targets include S3, GCP, and MinIO

Limits

  • Mayastor DiskPools are limited to one block device
  • Encryption keys cannot be rotated
  • Rawfile volumes are experimental

Who it suits

OpenEBS suits developers and platform SREs running stateful workloads on Kubernetes, including databases, observability stacks, or CI/CD. Its volume engines and integrations are relevant to teams managing Kubernetes storage themselves.

Verdict

OpenEBS provides multiple Kubernetes volume options alongside replication, snapshots, and backup integrations. Consider its stated Mayastor limitations when evaluating storage and encryption needs.

Where Specifiction places it

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