JuiceFS vs LizardFS

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.

LizardFS is an on-premises distributed file system that combines storage from several servers into a single namespace. Data is kept in multiple replicas across available servers, and new servers can be added without downtime; chunks move automatically to balance disk use. Erasure coding divides data into parts and parity stripes, with the maker stating that it can save up to 70% of storage capacity depending on configuration. Snapshots copy metadata while sharing data chunks until a file changes. Georeplication can copy data between data centers and lets administrators choose where data is stored. Administrators can set read and write bandwidth limits and apply soft or hard quotas for file counts and total size. Deleted files go to an administrator-visible trash bin for restoration or permanent deletion. Storage is installed on Linux, with Windows and macOS clients for cluster access. LizardFS supports NFS 3.x, NFS 4.0, and pNFS, and the maker describes using it with Elasticsearch and Logstash. Pricing is available on request; support packages include weekday or 24/7 assistance depending on tier.