Canonical MAAS vs xCAT
Canonical MAAS
canonical.comxCAT
xcat.orgSide by side
| Figure | Canonical MAAS | xCAT |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.3 (#2) | 7.3 (#51) |
| Spec score · OS Deployment Software | 9.3 (#1) | 7.3 (#20) |
| Spec score · Bare Metal Provisioning Software | 9.3 (#1) | 7.3 (#23) |
| Spec score · OS Imaging & Deployment Software | 9.3 (#1) | 7.3 (#16) |
| Spec score · Data Center Automation | 9.3 (#1) | 7.3 (#15) |
| Spec score · Bare Metal as a Service (BMaaS) Software | 9.4 (#1) | 7.3 (#10) |
| API | MAAS exposes a REST API with GET, POST, PUT and DELETE methods; version 2.0 is the documented supported API version. | xCAT provides a REST API for integration with third-party software. |
| Hardware discovery | PXE boot can automatically discover and enlist servers, while network discovery identifies subnets, VLANs and switch fabrics. | Discovery methods include manual definition, MTMS-based, switch-based, and sequential discovery. |
| Integrations | Canonical documentation names Juju, Chef, Puppet, Ansible, Terraform, OpenStack and Kubernetes as MAAS automation or orchestration integrations. | The documentation lists OpenStack and SoftLayer cloud integration and mentions configuring HPC applications including GPFS, Parallel Environment, and LSF. |
| Purpose | MAAS is an open source platform for centrally managing and provisioning physical servers as cloud resources. | xCAT automates deployment, scaling, and management of bare metal servers and virtual machines. |
Plans
Canonical MAAS
- FreeFree
- Self-supportFree
- Essential$30 a year
- Essential$30 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
In their own words
Canonical MAAS
Canonical MAAS is an open source platform for provisioning physical servers as centrally managed cloud resources. It automates server discovery, inventory, commissioning, deployment, and decommissioning, and lets operators manage nodes through a web interface, command line, or API. Hardware discovery uses PXE boot and supports IPMI-enabled machines, as well as subnets, VLANs, and switch fabrics. MAAS integrates with Terraform, Juju, and Ansible for infrastructure automation. It can configure networking and storage, run hardware tests, and manage LXD and KVM virtual machines. Listed images include Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows, and RHEL; images can be synchronized or served from an onsite mirror for offline use. Canonical describes MAAS for private cloud with OpenStack, server automation, and bare-metal Kubernetes. A free self-support plan covers all machines but excludes HA support, RBAC, Knowledge Base, a Sev 1 response SLA, phone support, and ticket support. Paid plans start at $30 a year per managed machine. Ubuntu Pro is required for MAAS controllers; Canonical says it provides security patching and enterprise support for controllers and Ubuntu machines.