Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

NIPAP VS MAAS

Compare NIPAP VS MAAS and see what are their differences

NIPAP logo NIPAP

nipap is a sleek, intuitive and powerful IP address management system built to handle large amounts...

MAAS logo MAAS

Metal as a Service is a free software physical cloud with IPAM and bare-metal server provisioning.
  • NIPAP Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-03-24
  • MAAS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-16

NIPAP features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    NIPAP offers a user-friendly and intuitive web interface, making it easier for network administrators to manage IP address allocations effectively.
  • Powerful CLI
    The tool provides a robust command-line interface, which allows for efficient automation and scripting capabilities, suitable for advanced users.
  • Flexible API
    NIPAP features a flexible API that facilitates integration with other systems and supports automation of IP address management tasks.
  • Hierarchical Pools
    NIPAP allows for efficient management of IP address pools using a hierarchical structure, which simplifies the organization and allocation process.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, NIPAP can be openly audited, customized, and improved by its user community, ensuring a collaborative development process.

Possible disadvantages of NIPAP

  • Limited Vendor Support
    As an open-source tool, NIPAP might lack the dedicated support services that come with commercial IPAM solutions, potentially leading to slower issue resolution.
  • Scalability Concerns
    NIPAP may encounter performance issues or limitations in handling extremely large-scale network environments, which could be a drawback for very large organizations.
  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration of NIPAP can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users who are not familiar with its environment.
  • Dependency Management
    NIPAP relies on external dependencies that require careful management, and changes in these dependencies might affect the functionality or compatibility of the tool.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Compared to some other IPAM systems, transitioning to NIPAP may involve a steeper learning curve for administrators due to its unique features and capabilities.

MAAS features and specs

  • Scalability
    MAAS is designed to manage a large number of machines, making it ideal for data centers and large-scale deployments.
  • Automation
    MAAS supports extensive automation capabilities, simplifying tasks such as provisioning, configuration, and deployment of physical servers.
  • Flexibility
    MAAS can work with a wide range of hardware and networking configurations, providing versatility for different environments.
  • Integration with Juju
    MAAS integrates well with Juju, allowing for seamless orchestration of services and applications on top of the physical infrastructure.
  • Bare-Metal Provisioning
    MAAS excels at bare-metal provisioning, giving users direct control over physical hardware for high-performance needs.
  • Monitoring and Alerting
    MAAS includes built-in monitoring and alerting, helping administrators keep track of hardware status and performance.

Possible disadvantages of MAAS

  • Complexity
    The extensive features and capabilities of MAAS can make it complex to set up and manage, particularly for smaller teams with limited expertise.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its broad set of features, new users may find the learning curve steep, requiring time and effort to become proficient.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    While MAAS supports a broad range of hardware, there may be specific devices or configurations that are not fully compatible or require additional setup.
  • Resource Intensity
    Running MAAS can be resource-intensive, requiring significant computing and network resources for optimal performance.
  • Cost
    While MAAS itself can be used for free, the infrastructure and resources necessary to implement it at scale can result in high operational costs.
  • Community Support Limitations
    The level of community support may not be as extensive as some other open-source projects, potentially limiting the availability of external help.

Analysis of MAAS

Overall verdict

  • MAAS is considered a strong solution for organizations that need to manage large-scale physical server infrastructure with minimal overhead. Its automation capabilities, combined with its flexibility and scalability, make it a suitable choice for many IT environments.

Why this product is good

  • MAAS (Metal as a Service) is a powerful solution for provisioning and managing physical servers. It automates the process of deploying bare-metal servers, making it easy to scale and manage infrastructure. Its ability to handle large-scale deployments efficiently is highly valued, especially in data centers and environments where cloud-like operations are needed on physical hardware.

Recommended for

    MAAS is particularly recommended for IT departments of mid to large enterprises, data centers, and organizations that require on-premises hardware management with cloud-like orchestration capabilities. It is also beneficial for those transitioning from virtualized environments to a more hardware-focused setup, or for tech companies prioritizing fast and repeated deployments.

NIPAP videos

NLNOG 2015 - Kristian Larsson - NIPAP, the best IP address management system

MAAS videos

ONE STAR REVIEWS: CRESCENT CITY | SARAH J MAAS

More videos:

  • Review - Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas Review!
  • Review - HOUSE OF EARTH & BLOOD BY SARAH J MAAS [SPOILER FREE REVIEW]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NIPAP and MAAS)
Monitoring Tools
59 59%
41% 41
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Network & Admin
36 36%
64% 64
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using NIPAP and MAAS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MAAS seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 35 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.

NIPAP mentions (0)

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

MAAS mentions (35)

  • How to deploy Linux to 15 machines, without manually installing every single one with a USB stick?
    Another tool, maybe even more 'dedicated' for Ubuntu, would be Canonical MAAS, but I never used it personally. Source: over 1 year ago
  • On perm automated repair?
    Ah, I see. Yes, that is entirely possible with some engineering effort. But then you’re building a system that behaves sort of like Kubernetes, in that it serves as an availability controller machines themselves. https://maas.io/ is probably the fastest way to get there. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How many of you are running kubernetes on prem?
    Instead look at bare metal K8s solutions. I wouldn't roll your own, look at Palette (https://www.spectrocloud.com/product) which has Canonical MAAS integration for bare metal K8s. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Stuck in a loop choosing homelab upgrade
    As it's a homelab, I do want to use it for experiments as well. I like to explore new tech, to see how it works and if it could fit my professional life as well (I work as a tech lead / architect for an semi-ecommerce store). Playing with tools like proxmox, maas.io, is fun - just because you can. But then running proxmox on some of these machines..? Source: about 2 years ago
  • What OS should I run?
    I also use Ubuntu Server LTS in all my machines and it works perfectly fine, just install some utilities, check out RHEL Web Console for Ubuntu (aka cockpit) https://cockpit-project.org/ and the VM plugin (aka cockpit-machines), there is also a plugin to run containers and pods (aka cockpit-podman). You can also install MAAS https://maas.io/ wich is more related to Canonical/Ubuntu itself and uses LXC/LXD to do... Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing NIPAP and MAAS, you can also consider the following products

phpIPAM - phpipam is an open-source web IP address management application (IPAM).

Aptum - Peer1 is an online platform for hosting, cloud, colocation, and connectivity services.

NetBox - NetBox is an open source web application designed to help manage and document computer networks. NetBox was developed specifically to address the needs of network and infrastructure engineers.

10gbps.io - DataPacket is a dedicated server provider with data centers in 20 locations worldwide. Get high-performance servers with unshared 10 Gbps ports. Multihomed network with 10 TIER-1 transit providers. 24/7 live support over multiple channels.

HaCi – IP Address Administration - HaCi – IP Address Administration is an effective networking tool that stores its data in relational Databases and uses a tree-like structure to illustrate subnets.

Storagepipe - Automating archiving older emails