Software Alternatives & Startups

figshare VS Packer

Compare figshare VS Packer and see what are their differences

figshare

Securely store and manage your research outputs in the cloud, or make them openly available and citable.

Rating
0 reviews
Packer

Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Packer should be more popular than figshare. It has been mentioned 9 times since March 2021.

social mentions
3 vs 9
Research Tools popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
63 vs 121

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

figshare
Packer
Website figshare.com packer.io
Pricing
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

figshare 5 features
Packer 5 features
  • Open Access
    Figshare allows researchers to make their data, results, and publications freely accessible, promoting transparency and enhancing the visibility and reach of their work.
  • Versatility
    It supports a wide range of file types and formats, which makes it versatile for different types of research outputs from datasets to videos and presentations.
  • DOI Assignment
    Figshare assigns a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to every uploaded item, ensuring that users receive a permanent, citable link for their work.
  • User-friendly Interface
    The platform has an intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to upload, manage, and share their research outputs without technical difficulties.
  • Embeddable
    Research outputs on Figshare can be easily embedded into other websites and platforms, enhancing their visibility and ease of access among various audiences.

Possible disadvantages

  • Storage Limitations
    While Figshare offers free storage, there are limitations to the amount of data a user can store without incurring costs, which might not suffice for large datasets.
  • Cost for Extended Features
    Some advanced features and larger storage require payment, which can be a barrier for individuals or institutions with limited funding.
  • Limited Customization
    Users may find the level of customization for their data presentations limited compared to other specialized repositories.
  • Data Privacy
    Due to its open access nature, sensitive data needs to be properly anonymized or withheld, which could be a concern for certain types of research.
  • Competition and Redundancy
    With many other repositories available, there might be redundancy in data sharing, and some users may prefer platforms that are more specific to their research field.
  • Multi-Provider Support
    Packer supports a wide variety of providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, VMware, and more. This allows for flexibility and the ability to create machine images across different environments.
  • Automation
    Packer automates the creation of machine images, eliminating the need for manual image configuration and reducing the potential for human error.
  • Script Reusability
    Packer allows for the reuse of scripts and configuration files, enabling a consistent and repeatable process for image creation.
  • Parallel Builds
    Packer can build multiple images in parallel, which can significantly speed up the provisioning process.
  • Idempotency
    Packer ensures that the output machine image is always an identical result given the same input configuration, reducing the risk of inconsistencies.

Possible disadvantages

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The variety of features and flexibility that Packer offers can make it complex and challenging to learn, especially for beginners.
  • Limited Debugging Tools
    Packer's debugging tools are not as mature or as integrated as those found in some other DevOps tools, making troubleshooting more difficult.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Complex configurations with multiple builders and provisioners can become hard to manage and maintain, leading to potential errors.
  • No State Management
    Unlike Terraform, Packer does not manage state, which means users need to handle state management separately if required.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    Packer often relies on external scripts and tools for provisioning, which can introduce additional dependencies and complexities.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

figshare
Packer

No analysis of figshare yet.

Overall verdict

  • Packer is a valuable tool for organizations looking to streamline their image building process and maintain consistency across different environments. Its flexibility and wide range of features make it a strong asset in infrastructure automation and DevOps pipelines.

Why this product is good

  • Packer is considered a good tool because it automates the creation of machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration. This efficiency reduces errors and speeds up the deployment process. Packer is highly versatile and integrates well with various configuration management tools, broadening its applicability across different environments. It also supports multiple cloud providers, making it a great choice for multi-cloud strategies.

Recommended for

  • DevOps teams
  • Cloud infrastructure engineers
  • Organizations using multi-cloud strategies
  • Teams seeking automated and consistent image building processes
  • Developers looking to integrate infrastructure as code practices

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

figshare 3 videos + Add
Packer 0 videos + Add

Figshare for Institutions Admin User Guide Video: Reviewing Items

More videos

  • - Figshare for Institutions — The All in One Repository
  • - Figshare repository demonstration

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

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
figshare
Packer
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%

User comments

Share your experience with using figshare and Packer. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

figshare no reviews yet
Packer no reviews yet

We have no reviews of figshare yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

figshare 3 mentions
Packer 9 mentions
  • 1,600 Days of a Failed Hobby Data Science Project
    I'll put a shoutout for https://zenodo.org/ and https://figshare.com/ as places to put your data, where you'll get a DOI and can let someone that's not a company look after hosting and backing it up. Zenodo is hosted as long as CERN is... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • My super useful websites collection for you all!
    -Crystal growing information Http://xrayweb.chem.ou.edu/notes/xtalgrow.html Https://www.chemistryviews.org/details/education/2538901/Tips\_and\_Tricks\_for\_the\_Lab\_Growing\_Crystals\_Part\_2.html Free science ... Source: almost 5 years ago
  • Want to post my research
    I am a PhD student and conducting a clinical trial in eczema. I have used figshare.com to make my work public, which is used by many universities and academics to disseminate their work for free! No doubt that publishing in journals is... Source: about 5 years ago
  • Failed to connect to the host via SSH on Ubuntu 22.04
    If you have just upgraded to Ubuntu 22.04, and you suddenly experience either errors when trying to ssh into hosts, or when running ansible or again when running the ansible provisioner building a packer image, this is probably going to... - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • Create a minimalist OS using Docker Containers and Hashicorp Packer
    I am already using Hashicorp Packer at work and for personal projects and I wanted to test This idea out by wrapping it a single Packer Template file. This reduces the level of maintaining a lot of small scripts, Dockerfiles and... - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago
  • After self-hosting my email for twenty-three years I have thrown in the towel. The oligopoly has won.
    And while it is a slight increase in complexity, it can be an overall net gain in functionality, configurability and reliability. Much like Packer is far more reliable and practical than manually making VM images sitting in front of a... Source: about 4 years ago

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Alternatives to figshare and Packer

When comparing figshare and Packer, you can also consider the following products.