Hadoop Distributed File System vs JuiceFS
Hadoop Distributed File System
hadoop.apache.orgJuiceFS
juicefs.comSide by side
| Figure | Hadoop Distributed File System | JuiceFS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.02/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Distributed File System Software | 8.2 (#9) | 9.1 (#2) |
| Architecture | An HDFS cluster primarily consists of a NameNode managing filesystem metadata and DataNodes storing data. | It stores file data in object storage and metadata separately in a metadata engine. |
| Encryption | Configured HDFS encryption provides transparent end-to-end encryption for data at rest and in transit using encryption zones and the Hadoop Key Management Server. | Documentation describes encryption in transit and client-side encryption at rest, while cached client data is not encrypted by default. |
| License | Apache Hadoop is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. | The Community Edition source code is released under Apache License 2.0. |
| Scale | HDFS is tuned for gigabyte-to-terabyte files, hundreds of nodes per cluster, and tens of millions of files in one instance. | Enterprise Edition is listed for up to 500 billion files, 4EB of data and horizontally scalable metadata throughput up to 10 million IOPS. |
| Storage integrations | The documentation lists Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage, Tencent COS, and other Hadoop-compatible file systems. | Supported storage options include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, MinIO, Ceph, WebDAV, and HDFS. |
| Support | Apache Hadoop support is provided through project mailing lists maintained by non-paid volunteers. | Community Edition support is through GitHub and Discord, Cloud Service includes professional team online support, and Enterprise support is customizable. |
Plans
Hadoop Distributed File System
- Apache Hadoop (open source)Free
JuiceFS
- Community EditionFree
- Cloud Service$0.02 a month
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
In their own words
Hadoop Distributed File System
Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) is the primary distributed storage used by Hadoop applications. Its clusters use a NameNode to manage filesystem metadata and DataNodes to store data. HDFS is designed for fault tolerance on commodity hardware and high-throughput streaming access and batch processing, not low latency. It is tuned for files from gigabytes to terabytes, clusters with hundreds of nodes, and tens of millions of files in one instance. Administration includes shell-like commands, NameNode and DataNode web servers, fsck diagnostics, safemode, and a cluster balancer. Its permissions model shares much with POSIX and can optionally use POSIX ACLs; authentication supports simple operating-system identity or Kerberos. Configured encryption protects data at rest and in transit using encryption zones and the Hadoop Key Management Server. WebHDFS provides a REST API, and listed storage integrations include Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage, and Tencent COS. HDFS is free to use under Apache License 2.0, with self-hosted cluster deployment.
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.