Ceph vs JuiceFS
Ceph
ceph.ioJuiceFS
juicefs.comSide by side
| Figure | Ceph | JuiceFS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.02/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Software-Defined Storage Software | 8.8 (#2) | 9.3 (#1) |
| Spec score · Distributed File System Software | 8.8 (#3) | 9.1 (#2) |
| Founded | 2006 | 2017 |
| Integrations | The documentation lists integrations for block devices including Kubernetes, QEMU, libvirt, OpenStack, Nomad, and CloudStack. | JuiceFS documents integration with Kubernetes CSI and Hadoop ecosystem components including Spark, Presto, Hive, Flink, Trino, and StarRocks. |
| License | The maker says most of Ceph is dual licensed under LGPL 2.1 or 3.0, with some bundled components under other free software licenses. | The Community Edition source code is released under Apache License 2.0. |
| Support | The maker directs users to documentation, the ceph-users mailing list, community channels, and the bug tracker for help. | Community Edition support is through GitHub and Discord, Cloud Service includes professional team online support, and Enterprise support is customizable. |
| What it does | Ceph is open-source distributed storage software that provides object, block, and file storage through one unified system. | JuiceFS is a cloud-oriented distributed POSIX file system that stores file data in object storage and metadata in a separate database. |
Plans
JuiceFS
- Community EditionFree
- Cloud Service$0.02 a month
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
In their own words
Ceph
Ceph is free, open-source distributed storage software for object, block, and file storage in one system. Organizations run clusters on commodity hardware that they choose and manage. Its RGW object storage supports the S3 API and Swift-compatible applications. RBD provides thin-provisioned disk images, snapshots, writable clones, and asynchronous mirroring to remote Ceph clusters. CephFS is a POSIX-compliant distributed filesystem with snapshots, quotas, and multi-cluster mirroring. The system can replicate data across devices, racks, and geographic locations, then redistribute it following hardware or connectivity failures. For Kubernetes, the project recommends Rook to run Ceph or connect an existing cluster; its CSI driver can provision block and file volumes. Installation choices include packages, container images, source clones, and tarballs. The cephadm tool requires Python 3, systemd, and Podman or Docker. Production guidance calls for at least three monitors, two managers, three OSDs, and 10 Gb/s networking between hosts. The project publishes a stable release annually and supports each series for approximately 24 months.
JuiceFS
JuiceFS is an open-source, cloud-native distributed file system that stores file data in object storage and metadata separately in a metadata engine. It supports POSIX, HDFS, S3, and WebDAV protocols, with storage options including Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, MinIO, Ceph, and HDFS. Documented uses include big data, machine learning, Kubernetes, shared workspaces, and backup. Integrations cover Kubernetes CSI and Hadoop ecosystem components such as Spark, Presto, Hive, Flink, Trino, and StarRocks. JuiceFS offers a self-hosted Community Edition, a managed Cloud Service, and an Enterprise Edition with on-premises, BYOC, and other deployment options. Its downloadable client supports Linux, macOS, and Windows; WSL 2 is recommended for Windows. Encryption in transit and at rest is supported, but at-rest encryption must be enabled when creating a file system and does not cover client-side cached data or file metadata. Community Edition is free; paid plans start at $0.02/mo.