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Azure File Storage VS GlusterFS

Compare Azure File Storage VS GlusterFS and see what are their differences

Azure File Storage logo Azure File Storage

Try Azure File Storage for managed file shares that use standard SMB 3.0 protocol. Share data with on-premises and cloud servers, integrate with apps, and more.

GlusterFS logo GlusterFS

GlusterFS is a scale-out network-attached storage file system.
  • Azure File Storage Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-11
  • GlusterFS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-03-10

Azure File Storage features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure File Storage can seamlessly scale up to support your data storage needs without sacrificing performance, ensuring that businesses can grow without concerns about storage limitations.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed service, Azure takes care of the maintenance, updates, and infrastructure, reducing administrative overhead for IT teams, and allowing them to focus on other business-critical tasks.
  • Integration
    Azure File Storage integrates well with other Microsoft products such as Windows Server and other Azure services, enabling a cohesive and efficient ecosystem for consistent and smooth user experiences.
  • Access Control
    Provides robust access control through Azure Active Directory, setting up specific permissions, ensuring that data remains secure and only accessible to authorized users.
  • Cross-platform Access
    Supports the SMB protocol, allowing access from various operating systems including Windows, Linux, and macOS, enabling diverse environments to interact seamlessly with the storage service.

Possible disadvantages of Azure File Storage

  • Cost
    Costs can accumulate rapidly, especially in scenarios involving large volumes of data, frequent access, or high redundancy, potentially leading to substantial operational expenses.
  • Complex Pricing Model
    The pricing model can be complex with various tiers and charges based on operations, data redundancy, and outbound data transfer, making it difficult to predict the exact costs effectively.
  • Latency
    While generally fast, there can be latency issues, particularly in situations where files are accessed from regions that are geographically distant from the storage location, affecting performance.
  • Limited Customization
    Compared to on-premise solutions, there is limited capacity for customization of the infrastructure and may not meet specific needs of certain businesses that require tailor-made setups.
  • Dependency on Internet Connectivity
    Azure File Storage relies on stable internet connectivity, which can be a risk for businesses situated in areas with unstable networks or outages, impacting the ability to access data.

GlusterFS features and specs

  • Scalability
    GlusterFS can easily scale out by adding more servers to the cluster, allowing it to handle increasing amounts of data and traffic.
  • Distributed File System
    It provides a distributed file system, enabling data replication and distribution across multiple nodes, which enhances data availability and reliability.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, GlusterFS provides flexibility and freedom for customization to fit specific needs without the cost associated with proprietary solutions.
  • POSIX Compliance
    GlusterFS is POSIX-compliant, meaning it supports standard file system operations, which makes it easier to integrate with existing applications and systems.
  • High Availability
    With built-in features like self-healing and replication, GlusterFS ensures that data remains available and consistent even in the event of hardware failures.
  • Geographical Distribution
    It supports geographical distribution of data, which is beneficial for disaster recovery and accessing data from multiple locations.

Possible disadvantages of GlusterFS

  • Performance Overhead
    Due to its distributed nature, GlusterFS might introduce performance overhead, particularly for workloads requiring low-latency or high-throughput.
  • Complexity in Management
    Managing a GlusterFS cluster can be complex, requiring in-depth knowledge of the system to properly configure and troubleshoot issues.
  • Latency Issues
    Latency can become a significant issue, especially in write-heavy applications or when nodes are geographically distant.
  • Resource Intensive
    GlusterFS can be resource-intensive, requiring significant CPU and memory resources to manage its distributed architecture and ensure data consistency.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Compared to other distributed file systems, GlusterFS may lack some advanced features like native support for certain storage protocols or comprehensive storage tiering.
  • Community Support
    While there is a community around GlusterFS, the level and speed of community support may not match that of commercially-backed solutions.

Azure File Storage videos

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GlusterFS videos

An Overview of GlusterFS Architecture Part 2 - Non-replicated Cluster

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure File Storage and GlusterFS)
Cloud Storage
39 39%
61% 61
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100
Work Collaboration
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Azure File Storage should be more popular than GlusterFS. It has been mentiond 14 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Azure File Storage mentions (14)

  • A Step by Step Guide on How to Migrate from AWS to Azure
    If your workloads require shared storage, Azure Files is a nice pick. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Searching for online alternative for a synology
    Azure Files perhaps? Or if you need frequently accessed files to be quicker then Azure File Sync. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How To Upload and Delete files in Azure Blob Storage Using Blazor Apps With .NET 7
    ​To know more details: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/storage/files/. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Hosted, mappable storage?
    If you have a use case that affords any kind of budget, maybe consder Azure Files. It is an SMB share you access over the internet. Basically, windows file server but hardened and entirely managed by Microsoft. This is as hands-off as it gets for an SMB share. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Microsoft cloud drive options
    I have a client that (finally!) decided to go all-in on Azure; I had prepared the owner to expect additional costs based on their need for a file share -- I was expecting to have to use Azure Files. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

GlusterFS mentions (2)

  • [D] What are the compute options you've considered for your projects?
    I am a fan of Gearman to schedule and dispatch distributed jobs, Redis as a collaborative blackboard, and GlusterFS to share models across multiple systems and make bulk data available across the entire system (usually referenced in the blackboard as a pathname). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Gluster vs Oracle Gluster
    If you're not relying on support, then I would probably standardize on the latest packages available from gluster.org. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure File Storage and GlusterFS, you can also consider the following products

Cyberduck - A libre FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, S3, Backblaze B2, Azure & OpenStack Swift browser.

Ceph - Ceph is a distributed object store and file system designed to provide excellent performance...

Igloo Software - Igloo is a modern intranet, it connects people with the information they need to do their best work.

rkt - App Container runtime

IBM Cloud File Storage - IBM Cloud File Storage is flash-backed, durable, fast, and flexible NFS-based file storage.

Minio - Minio is an open-source minimal cloud storage server.