NetApp Global File Cache vs ObjectiveFS

NetApp Global File Cache centralizes unstructured data in cloud storage while giving distributed offices access to active files. Core and Edge instances form the deployment, with Edge instances serving branches through an intelligent cache and virtual file share. The cache keeps locally relevant active datasets and clears least-recently-used cached files as that dataset changes. SMB provides access, and global locking supports consistency when people collaborate on files. Storage options include Azure NetApp Files, Cloud Volumes ONTAP and Cloud Volumes Service, subject to availability in the cloud environment. Integrations include Active Directory, access control lists, NTFS permissions and DFS Namespaces; deployments can also incorporate DNS/DHCP and SCCM software distribution services. The onboarding guide describes Core and Edge instances on Windows Server virtual machines, including VMware and Hyper-V templates. Cloud deployments require a minimum of 8 vCPU and 32 GB RAM. The licensing service needs HTTPS access over TCP port 443, and licensing is activated in the software UI using a subscription number. The listed one-year subscription is $250 a year; the schedule labels billing MTH. Pricing is also described as available on request.

ObjectiveFS is a shared distributed POSIX file system for persistent storage across cloud instances, laptops, containers, and office servers. It runs on Linux and macOS and can be self-hosted. The software runs on customer machines and connects directly to object stores through the S3 API, without storage clusters or metadata servers. Multiple machines can read and write the same filesystem, with updates visible across them. Supported targets include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, IBM Cloud Object Storage, Oracle Cloud, DigitalOcean Spaces, Scaleway, Wasabi, Ceph, MinIO, NetApp StorageGRID, Hitachi Content Platform, and S3-compatible stores. Data is encrypted locally with a customer-known key and remains encrypted in transit and at rest; checksums verify integrity. Automatic and checkpoint snapshots can be mounted read-only. Personal costs $99 a month and includes 3 instances, up to 50 instances, 5TB storage, and unlimited filesystems. A 14-day trial is available, but there is no free plan. Object-store charges are billed separately. ObjectiveFS does not run natively on Windows, though a Linux machine can export it through NFS or Samba.