Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

btrfs VS mergerfs

Compare btrfs VS mergerfs and see what are their differences

btrfs logo btrfs

Btrfs is a modern copy on write (CoW) filesystem for Linux aimed at implementing advanced features...

mergerfs logo mergerfs

mergerfs is a union filesystem geared towards simplifing storage and management of files across...
  • btrfs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-05
  • mergerfs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-27

btrfs features and specs

  • Snapshotting
    Btrfs supports both read-only and read-write snapshots, allowing for efficient data backup and recovery operations without needing to duplicate data.
  • Data Integrity
    Btrfs uses checksums for data and metadata, providing robust protection against data corruption by detecting and correcting errors from disk failures.
  • Subvolumes
    Using subvolumes, Btrfs provides a flexible way to manage different data sets within a single file system, offering separate quotas and snapshots.
  • Compression
    Btrfs supports transparent file system compression, leading to reduced storage footprint and potentially improved read performance by decreasing data transfer sizes.
  • RAID Support
    Btrfs has built-in support for numerous RAID levels, such as RAID 0, 1, and 10, which can improve data redundancy and performance without external tools.

Possible disadvantages of btrfs

  • Maturity
    While Btrfs has many advanced features, some users experience concerns regarding its maturity and stability, particularly in mission-critical environments.
  • Performance Overhead
    Due to its many features such as checksums and snapshots, Btrfs can have higher CPU and memory usage compared to other file systems, potentially affecting performance.
  • Complexity
    The extensive feature set and capabilities of Btrfs add to its complexity, which can pose a challenge for users who are unfamiliar with its workings.
  • Limited FSCK Support
    The file system check (fsck) utility for Btrfs is not as mature as that for other file systems, potentially complicating recovery processes in case of file system issues.
  • Compatibility
    Some operating systems and applications still lack full compatibility or support for Btrfs features, which can cause issues for users who rely on those systems.

mergerfs features and specs

  • Flexibility
    mergerfs offers a flexible way to merge multiple filesystems or drives into a single virtual pool, allowing users to utilize and manage disparate storage resources effectively.
  • Configurable Behavior
    It provides a highly configurable set of options, granting users control over how files are distributed, accessed, and managed within the pool. This includes options for policies regarding read-write actions, path-preservation, and space allocation.
  • FUSE-based
    Being a FUSE-based solution, mergerfs does not require kernel-level modifications, making it easier to install and use on various UNIX-like operating systems.
  • Snapshot and Backup Friendliness
    Files are stored on the underlying filesystems in a normal manner, which makes mergerfs compatible with snapshot and backup tools that work at the file level.
  • Active Development
    mergerfs is actively maintained and updated, ensuring it remains compatible with new operating system versions and receives bug fixes and feature enhancements.

Possible disadvantages of mergerfs

  • Single Point of Failure
    As with any pooled storage, if the point where mergerfs is mounted fails or becomes unstable, access to the merged data can be affected, representing a potential single point of failure.
  • FUSE Performance Overhead
    While FUSE provides flexibility and ease of use, it tends to introduce a performance overhead compared to kernel-based filesystem solutions, which can impact the speed of data operations.
  • Complexity in Configuration
    For users unfamiliar with filesystem behaviors and configurations, setting up and tuning mergerfs can be complex and may require a learning curve to fully leverage its features.
  • No Native RAID Support
    mergerfs itself does not provide redundancy or fault tolerance like traditional RAID systems, which means users need to implement additional solutions if data redundancy is required.
  • No Built-in Encryption
    mergerfs does not include built-in encryption features, so users requiring encrypted storage will need to rely on underlying filesystem capabilities or external tools.

btrfs videos

BTRFS vs EXT 4 - Which File System Should you Use?

More videos:

  • Review - File Systems | Which One is the Best? ZFS, BTRFS, or EXT4
  • Review - Make BTRFS The Default Filesystem On EVERY Linux Distro

mergerfs videos

No mergerfs videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to btrfs and mergerfs)
Cloud Computing
49 49%
51% 51
Cloud Storage
49 49%
51% 51
Storage
46 46%
54% 54
Network & Admin
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, mergerfs seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 87 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.

btrfs mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of btrfs yet. Tracking of btrfs recommendations started around Mar 2021.

mergerfs mentions (87)

  • Mergerfs and Snapraid installation
    I am planning to use ubuntu server, and I would like to ask an advice: according to snapraid's download page and mergerfs' github page, it seems to be suggested to download directly their source instead of using ubuntu's package manager. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Merge/Raid HDD documentation
    It seems similar to mergerfs https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs . I havent gone through any code to verify but this is what it seems like. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Can Rclone be reliably used as a R/W cache or is there something better suited to that task?
    Something else to try is mergerfs, https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Looking for a solution to merge storage accross WAN
    I use mergerfs for my Google drive, Dropbox and local drives to appear as a single folder structure on my server so my plex doesn't require multiple mappings. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Unpackerr and Hardlinks, help needed
    Your paths are "fine", but they're not great. If you have multiple drives, you might also be interested in mergerfs to skoosh them all into "one" path, like /merge. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing btrfs and mergerfs, you can also consider the following products

StableBit DrivePool - State of the art, file based drive pooling software.

Greyhole - Greyhole is an application that uses Samba to create a storage pool of all your available hard drives, and allows you to create redundant copies of the files you store, in order to prevent data loss when part of your hardware fails.

mhddfs - The driver combines a several mount points into the single one.

Drive Bender - Drive Bender, class leading storage pooling technology

Liquesce - My Project discovery's / ramblings and techie stuff I deal with by Simon Coghlan

EON ZFS Storage - EON ZFS Network Attached Storage