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Slurm Workload Manager

slurm.schedmd.com

Free plan LinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit slurm.schedmd.com
Spec score 7.5 #11 of 21 in GPU Cluster Management Software

What it is

Slurm Workload Manager is free, open-source software for allocating compute resources and scheduling work across Linux clusters. It starts and monitors jobs on allocated nodes and manages queues of pending work. Optional plugins add accounting, advanced reservations, gang and backfill scheduling, topology-aware resource selection, resource limits, and multifactor job prioritization. The system uses a central slurmctld manager and slurmd daemons on compute nodes; accounting and REST components are optional. GPU plugins support NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, AWS Trainium, and AWS Inferentia accelerators, along with NVIDIA MPS and GPU sharing. Accounting can use MySQL or MariaDB and can record data in a text file, directly in a database, or through slurmdbd for multiple clusters. Slurmrestd provides REST access, but the API is not designed for direct internet exposure and supports only unencrypted HTTP. Linux is thoroughly tested on arm64, ppc64, and x86_64; FreeBSD and NetBSD support is limited, and macOS is unsupported. Deployment is self-hosted.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Slurm is an open-source, fault-tolerant, highly scalable cluster management and job scheduling system for large and small Linux clusters.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Headquarters
Utah, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Founded
2010Read 28 Sep 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Architecture
Slurm uses a centralized slurmctld manager, slurmd daemons on compute nodes, optional slurmdbd accounting, and optional slurmrestd REST access.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Authentication
Slurm authenticates communications between components through a configurable authentication plugin, with MUNGE as the default and recommended option and an internal auth/slurm plugin also available.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Cloud and Kubernetes
SchedMD documents Slurm integrations for Google Cloud, AWS Parallel Computing Service, Microsoft Azure and CycleCloud, while Slinky provides interoperability between Slurm and Kubernetes.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Core functions
It allocates compute resources, starts and monitors work on allocated nodes, and manages queues of pending work.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Database integration
Slurm supports MySQL or MariaDB for accounting and can record accounting data in a text file, directly in a database, or through slurmdbd for multiple clusters.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
GPU support
Optional GRES plugins support NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, AWS Trainium, and AWS Inferentia accelerators, plus NVIDIA MPS and GPU sharing.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Notable adoption
SchedMD states that Slurm is the scheduler of choice for over half of the top one-hundred systems in the TOP500.Read 1 Oct 2026 · schedmd.com
Primary audience
SchedMD describes Slurm as a workload manager for high-performance computing and AI environments, including large-scale supercomputing systems.Read 1 Oct 2026 · schedmd.com
Project history
Slurm was initially released in 2002, and SchedMD was founded in 2010 to continue developing it.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
REST API
Slurmrestd provides a REST API, but the API is not designed to be directly internet-facing and supports only unencrypted HTTP communications.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Scheduling features
Optional plugins provide accounting, advanced reservations, gang scheduling, backfill scheduling, topology-aware resource selection, resource limits, and multifactor job prioritization.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com
Support services
SchedMD offers standard support, deployment services, on-site training, and technical account manager services for Slurm and Slinky.Read 1 Oct 2026 · schedmd.com
Supported operating systems
Linux is thoroughly tested on arm64, ppc64, and x86_64; FreeBSD and NetBSD have limited support, while macOS is not currently supported.Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com

Plans and prices

Slurm Free No monetary cost GNU GPL v2 · self-hosted cluster software Read 1 Oct 2026 · slurm.schedmd.com

Every Slurm Workload Manager plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Allocates and monitors work across cluster nodes
  • Optional advanced scheduling plugins
  • GPU plugins cover several accelerator vendors
  • Accounting supports MySQL or MariaDB
  • Free, open-source, self-hosted software

Limits

  • REST API supports only unencrypted HTTP
  • macOS is not supported
  • FreeBSD and NetBSD support is limited

Who it suits

Slurm suits teams managing high-performance computing or AI workloads on self-hosted Linux clusters. Its optional scheduling and GPU plugins offer additional controls for cluster administrators.

Verdict

Slurm offers cluster resource allocation, job scheduling, and optional accounting and GPU support without a software charge. Its REST security limits and operating-system support boundaries should factor into deployment plans.

Where Specifiction places it

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