Google Cloud Filestore vs OpenAFS
Google Cloud Filestore
cloud.google.comOpenAFS
openafs.orgSide by side
| Figure | Google Cloud Filestore | OpenAFS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.01/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · Distributed File System Software | 8.2 (#8) | 7.7 (#15) |
Plans
Google Cloud Filestore
- Filestore Zonal - custom performance on (per IOPS)$0.01 a month
- Filestore Regional - custom performance on (per IOPS)$0.03 a month
- Filestore Zonal - custom performance on (instance capacity)$0.12 a month
- Filestore Regional - custom performance on (instance capacity)$0.21 a month
- Filestore Zonal - custom performance off$0.25 a month
- Filestore Regional - custom performance off$0.45 a month
- Filestore Zonal - custom performance on (per instance)$20 a month
- Filestore Regional - custom performance on (per instance)$40 a month
In their own words
Google Cloud Filestore
Google Cloud Filestore has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
OpenAFS
OpenAFS is a free, open-source implementation of the AFS distributed filesystem for accessing network files as though they were local. Location transparency lets users keep the same pathname when administrators move files between machines. AFS supports federated sharing and read-only replication across file servers, while the client Cache Manager keeps files in disk or memory cache to reduce repeated network requests. Kerberos authentication uses tokens for authenticated status, and directory access control lists define user and group permissions. Clients and servers mutually authenticate, with server processes encrypting particularly sensitive information sent to clients. However, commands in the fs, pts, and vos suites do not encrypt data before transmission. OpenAFS supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted deployment, with AFS access plus NFS and SMB/CIFS options listed. The project lists version 1.8.16.1 as a June 2026 UNIX/Linux maintenance release and distributes it under the IBM Public License. Administrators assign each AFS volume a size limit or quota.