Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenStack VS CloudStack

Compare OpenStack VS CloudStack 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.

CloudStack logo CloudStack

Apache's CloudStack is a Project backed by Citrix and designed to be a direct competitor to...
  • OpenStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-22
  • CloudStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-01

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.

CloudStack features and specs

  • Open Source
    CloudStack is an open-source cloud computing software for creating, managing, and deploying infrastructure cloud services. This reduces costs and allows for customization.
  • Hypervisor Agnostic
    CloudStack supports multiple hypervisors, including VMware, KVM, and XenServer, offering flexibility in deployment environments.
  • Comprehensive UI
    It features an intuitive and user-friendly graphical user interface, which eases the management of cloud infrastructure.
  • API Support
    CloudStack provides a robust API, facilitating automation and integration with other systems and tools.
  • Scalability
    Designed to scale efficiently, it can manage thousands of servers from a single point of control, making it suitable for both small and large-scale deployments.

Possible disadvantages of CloudStack

  • Complex Setup
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex and time-consuming, requiring a certain level of expertise.
  • Limited Vendor Support
    Compared to some commercial solutions, CloudStack has fewer vendor-backed support options, which might be a concern for enterprises seeking guaranteed assistance.
  • Smaller Community
    The CloudStack community is smaller compared to other open-source cloud management platforms like OpenStack, potentially leading to fewer available third-party integrations and plug-ins.
  • Update and Maintenance
    Keeping CloudStack up-to-date and maintained can be challenging, especially with its broad range of features and compatibility considerations.
  • Documentation
    While the documentation exists, it can sometimes be lacking in detail or clarity for complex scenarios, requiring users to rely on community support or external resources.

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

CloudStack videos

Apache CloudStack - Storage - Snapshots - Code Review

More videos:

  • Demo - CloudStack 4.3 Demo in 12 Minutes
  • Tutorial - Apache Cloudstack Tutorial: What is Apache Cloudstack Part - 2

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenStack and CloudStack)
Cloud Computing
75 75%
25% 25
VPS
78 78%
22% 22
Cloud Hosting
68 68%
32% 32
Cloud Infrastructure
79 79%
21% 21

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 CloudStack

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.

CloudStack Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenStack should be more popular than CloudStack. It has been mentiond 2 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.

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 / almost 4 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 / almost 4 years ago

CloudStack mentions (1)

  • Cloud like web interface for Homelab
    You could look at the Apache Cloudstack project Https://cloudstack.apache.org/index.html. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenStack and CloudStack, 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.

OpenShift - OpenShift gives you all the tools you need to develop, host and scale your apps in the public or private cloud. Get started today.

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

Amazon EC2 - Amazon Web Services offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services. Free to join, pay only for what you use.

Proxmox VE - Proxmox is an open-source server virtualization management solution that offers the ability to manage virtual server technology with the Linux OpenVZ and KVM technology.

Google Compute Engine - Google Compute Engine is not just fast. It’s Google fast.