Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenStack VS Multipass

Compare OpenStack VS Multipass 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.

Multipass logo Multipass

Multipass provides a command line interface to launch, manage and generally fiddle about with instances of Linux.
  • OpenStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-22
  • Multipass Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-13

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.

Multipass features and specs

  • Easy Setup
    Multipass provides a straightforward command-line interface, making it easy to set up and manage virtual machines with minimal command input.
  • Cross-platform Support
    Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, Multipass ensures that users can run virtual machines on different operating systems easily.
  • Integration with Cloud-Init
    Multipass supports cloud-init, allowing users to automate the initial system configuration of their instances, which is beneficial for development and testing.
  • Lightweight
    Multipass is designed to be lightweight and fast, minimizing the resource burden on the host system and allowing for quick VM launches.
  • Ubuntu Focus
    Multipass is optimized for creating and managing Ubuntu instances, ensuring a consistent environment for Ubuntu-based development.

Possible disadvantages of Multipass

  • Limited to Ubuntu
    Multipass primarily supports Ubuntu images, which may be a limitation for users who require different operating systems for their environments.
  • No GUI
    It lacks a graphical user interface, which might be challenging for users who prefer not to work through a command-line interface.
  • Basic Network Configuration
    Networking options in Multipass are relatively basic compared to other virtualization tools, potentially limiting advanced network setups.
  • Resource Management
    Multipass may not offer as detailed resource allocation or monitoring tools compared to dedicated virtualization solutions like VMware or VirtualBox.
  • Dependency on Host OS
    The performance and functionality can be heavily dependent on the underlying host operating system and its updates, which might introduce unforeseen issues.

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.

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

Multipass videos

Kilohearts MULTIPASS

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Kilohearts Tutorials - Introduction to Multipass
  • Review - Janji Multipass Sling (2L) Review - A Hip Pack for Runners

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenStack and Multipass)
Cloud Computing
64 64%
36% 36
VPS
100 100%
0% 0
Group Chat & Notifications
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 Multipass

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.

Multipass Reviews

We have no reviews of Multipass yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Multipass seems to be a lot more popular than OpenStack. While we know about 89 links to Multipass, we've tracked only 2 mentions of 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 / over 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 / over 5 years ago

Multipass mentions (89)

  • Terraform for Local VMs: A Modern Alternative to Vagrant
    Then I discovered Canonical Multipass - a lightweight VM manager from Canonical. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Setting Up an Ubuntu Dev Environment with Multipass and VS Code Remote-SSH
    Download and Install Multipass Multipass makes creating and managing Ubuntu VMs extremely simple. Download it from the official website and follow the installation instructions for your OS. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Linux virtual machines, with a focus on running containers
    Since we're here. What do people use when they need to test their software installs well on naked Ubuntu Server of some version? To not do manual setup in VMWare, can be Linux-only. I've found Multipass https://multipass.run/ by Canonical and I wonder if anyone recommends it. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Packer Workflows with Jenkins
    Multipass I love Multipass for quick Ubuntu instances spun up for testing or as a playground. Wish I would have known and used of it sooner. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • VMs on macOS using Apple's native Virtualization.Framework
    If you just need Ubuntu then you can try "Multipass" from Canonical (https://multipass.run/). Works quite well on my M2 Air. I haven't tried using Linux GUI with it though as I need only terminal based VMs. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenStack and Multipass, 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.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

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

VirtualBox - VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as...

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

UTM - Run virtual machines on iOS