Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenStack VS Akamai

Compare OpenStack VS Akamai and see what are their differences

OpenStack logo OpenStack

OpenStack software controls large pools of compute, storage, and networking resources throughout a datacenter, managed through a dashboard or via the OpenStack API.

Akamai logo Akamai

Akamai is the leading content delivery network (CDN) services provider for media and software delivery, and cloud security solutions.
  • OpenStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-22
  • Akamai Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-10

OpenStack features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenStack is open source, which means there is no licensing fee and a broad community of users and developers contributes to its development and support.
  • Flexibility
    It supports a wide variety of hardware and software, allowing organizations to customize their cloud infrastructure to meet specific needs.
  • Scalability
    OpenStack can scale horizontally, allowing organizations to add or remove resources as their needs change, effectively managing large pools of compute, storage, and networking resources.
  • Vendor Neutrality
    Being vendor-neutral, OpenStack offers flexibility to avoid vendor lock-in and choose from a wide range of compatible technologies and service providers.
  • Community Support
    A large and active community provides extensive documentation, forums, and support, which can be very helpful for troubleshooting and development.

Possible disadvantages of OpenStack

  • Complexity
    Setting up and managing OpenStack can be complex and requires a significant level of expertise, which may necessitate specialized training for staff.
  • Performance Overhead
    Being a feature-rich platform, it often involves more performance overhead compared to other simpler, more streamlined services.
  • Resource Intensive
    OpenStack can be resource-intensive in terms of CPU, memory, and storage, which might not be suitable for all organizations, especially smaller ones with limited resources.
  • Interoperability Issues
    Integrating OpenStack with existing systems and third-party tools can sometimes present challenges, especially when dealing with legacy infrastructure.
  • Evolving Platform
    The platform is constantly evolving, which can be both a pro and a con. Keeping up to date with the latest releases and changes can be time-consuming and may require ongoing maintenance.

Akamai features and specs

  • Global Reach
    Akamai has a vast network of servers distributed globally, ensuring low-latency and high-speed content delivery anywhere in the world.
  • Performance Optimization
    Through advanced caching and robust infrastructure, Akamai enhances website and application performance, making them load faster and work more efficiently.
  • Security Features
    Akamai provides extensive security solutions including Web Application Firewalls (WAF), DDoS protection, and bot management to keep online properties secure.
  • Scalability
    Akamai can handle large amounts of traffic, making it ideal for businesses that experience high seasonal surges or rapid growth in user activity.
  • Comprehensive Analytics
    Akamai offers detailed analytics and reporting tools to track performance, user interactions, and security threats, helping businesses make data-driven decisions.

Possible disadvantages of Akamai

  • Cost
    Services from Akamai can be expensive, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  • Complexity
    Implementing and managing Akamai's solutions can be complex and may require specialized knowledge or trained personnel.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Once integrated deeply into Akamai's ecosystem, switching to another service provider can be challenging and resource-intensive.
  • Support
    While Akamai does offer support, some customers have reported that the response times and level of assistance provided can be inconsistent.
  • Initial Setup Time
    The initial setup and configuration process can be time-consuming, requiring a significant investment of time and resources before fully realizing the benefits.

Analysis of OpenStack

Overall verdict

  • OpenStack can be an excellent choice for businesses and enterprises looking to deploy a cloud infrastructure, particularly if they value flexibility, scalability, and control over their environment. Being open-source, it also offers cost advantages compared to proprietary solutions, provided the organization has the necessary expertise to manage and maintain it. However, it may be challenging for smaller teams without dedicated IT resources due to its complexity and the steep learning curve associated with its deployment and management.

Why this product is good

  • OpenStack is a popular open-source cloud computing platform that enables users to build and manage both public and private clouds. It offers a flexible and scalable solution for organizations that need to handle large amounts of data and infrastructure. OpenStack is developed by a vast community of developers and organizations, ensuring continuous improvement and adaptation to new technologies. It supports a wide range of APIs, which allows for customization and integration with other services and tools.

Recommended for

    OpenStack is particularly recommended for large enterprises, organizations with skilled IT teams, academic institutions, and service providers that need a highly customizable and scalable cloud solution. It's also a great fit for entities with specific compliance requirements or those that need to run a private cloud with tailored configurations.

Analysis of Akamai

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Akamai is generally considered a good choice, especially for businesses seeking robust and reliable CDN and cybersecurity solutions.

Why this product is good

  • Akamai is one of the largest and most established Content Delivery Network (CDN) providers, with a vast global presence and a strong reputation for performance and reliability.
  • In addition to CDN services, Akamai offers comprehensive cloud security solutions, including DDoS protection, web application firewalls, and bot management, making it a popular choice for businesses concerned about cybersecurity.
  • Akamai's advanced analytics and optimization tools help businesses enhance their content delivery and improve user experiences.
  • The company's infrastructure is designed to provide fast and consistent performance, reducing latency and ensuring quick load times for websites and applications.
  • Akamai is known for its customer service and technical support, which can be crucial for businesses that require dependable assistance and personalized solutions.

Recommended for

  • Large enterprises and e-commerce platforms that require scalable and reliable content delivery solutions.
  • Businesses facing frequent security threats and in need of robust cloud security services.
  • Global companies looking to improve website and application performance for their users worldwide.
  • Organizations that need detailed analytics to optimize their content distribution and digital experiences.

OpenStack videos

OpenStack Summit Primer, The Who, What, Why and How of OpenStack

More videos:

  • Review - Red Hat OpenStack Platform GPU use case
  • Review - Performance Analysis Review for Production OpenStack Private Cloud in SaaS

Akamai videos

The Brew Gentlemen Akamai (Best PA DIPA!) Review Ep. #870

More videos:

  • Review - EBBB: Brew Gentlemen Akamai (Best IPA out of PA?!) - Review #343
  • Review - Akamai Year in Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenStack and Akamai)
Cloud Computing
47 47%
53% 53
CDN
0 0%
100% 100
VPS
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Infrastructure
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenStack and Akamai

OpenStack Reviews

35+ Of The Best CI/CD Tools: Organized By Category
OpenStack is a cloud framework. It provides users and enterprises with horizontal scale infrastructure. Its tools allow you to compute, store and share data and resources. It also provides self-service administration that users can interact with directly.

Akamai Reviews

8 Best Cloudflare Alternatives (Free + Premium)
However, being a large CDN provider, Akamai may be somewhat restrictive and less flexible than smaller ones. Unlike Cloudflare, Akamai does not have a free plan, and their pricing is given only upon consultation. That said, if you have ample money in your pockets, Akamai could be the best Cloudflare alternative.
Source: hostscore.net
The 7 Best Content-Delivery-Network Providers
At Akamai product safety, web performance, media delivery, network operator and services are the focus. The globally distributed Intelligent Edge platform provides servers in over 130 countries. The tool keeps attacks and threats at bay and according to the company, particularly offers decisions, applications and experiences close to the user.
Source: omr.com
Top 15 Cloudflare Alternatives: A Complete Guide
Akamai is one of the oldest and largest CDN providers in the world, with over 300,000 servers in 130 countries. Akamai offers a comprehensive suite of CDN solutions, including web and mobile performance, media delivery, cloud security, edge computing, and enterprise networking. Let's explore its pros and cons:
Introduction to Cloudflare Alternatives In 2021
Akamai is among the biggest and rather popular CDN (material shipment networks) and cloud service providers around the world. It serves throughout 20-30 percent of network traffics. A lot of persuading services provides resemble stopping DDoS attacks and content delivery speeds that makes it better than any other alternatives & makes it a leading concern after Cloudflare....
10 Top Cloudflare Alternatives for Your Website
Akamai is one of the largest and best-known CDNs and cloud services provider in the world, and is believed to be responsible for serving between 15 to 30-percent of all web-traffic. If stopping DDoS attacks and optimizing content delivery speed are at the top of your list of priorities, this is the service that youโ€™ll need to seriously look at. Thatโ€™s because the companyโ€™s...
Source: beebom.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Akamai might be a bit more popular than OpenStack. We know about 2 links to it since March 2021 and only 2 links to OpenStack. 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.

OpenStack mentions (2)

  • Learn OpenStack by Example: Part 1 - Install DevStack
    In my first post, I looked into what is OpenStack and how, if done right, can be quite a powerful ally in our cloud deployment strategies. In this post, I want to start looking at how we can create an application to learn the basics and components of the system. - Source: dev.to / about 5 years ago
  • Learn OpenStack by examples: Part 0 - Summary and Goals
    While searching for solutions and documentation on the various problems I've come across, I would often see references to OpenStack and it got my curiosity going. What is OpenStack? What services does it offer and who owns it? How do I learn to use it? What are it's costs and limitations? - Source: dev.to / about 5 years ago

Akamai mentions (2)

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenStack and Akamai, you can also consider the following products

Linode - We make it simple to develop, deploy, and scale cloud infrastructure at the best price-to-performance ratio in the market.

CloudFlare - Cloudflare is a global network designed to make everything you connect to the Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable.

DigitalOcean - Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.

Amazon CloudFront - Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery web service.

Microsoft Azure - Windows Azure and SQL Azure enable you to build, host and scale applications in Microsoft datacenters.

KeyCDN - KeyCDN is a high-performance Content Delivery Network (CDN). Lowest price globally at $0.04/GB with HTTP/2 Support and free Origin Shield.