Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Samba VS Windows Server Essentials

Compare Samba VS Windows Server Essentials and see what are their differences

Samba logo Samba

Samba serves as an open source alternative to the traditional domain controller offered by Microsoft.

Windows Server Essentials logo Windows Server Essentials

Windows Server Essentials (formerly Windows Small Business Server) is a flexible, affordable, and...
  • Samba Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • Windows Server Essentials Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19

Samba features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Samba allows file and print sharing between computers running Windows and Unix-like systems such as Linux, enhancing interoperability across different platforms.
  • Active Directory Support
    Samba provides Active Directory support, enabling Linux servers to seamlessly join and participate in Windows network domains, including authentication and directory services.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Samba is cost-effective and provides the flexibility to modify and utilize the software according to organizational needs, with a supportive user and developer community.
  • Wide Adoption
    Samba is widely adopted and trusted in enterprise environments for providing reliable file and print services across various operating systems.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Samba has extensive documentation and community-contributed resources that help users effectively set up and troubleshoot issues.

Possible disadvantages of Samba

  • Complex Configuration
    Samba configuration can be complex and may require a thorough understanding of both Windows and Linux networking concepts to set up and maintain correctly.
  • Performance Overhead
    Due to protocol translation between different systems, there may be performance overheads in certain environments, impacting speed and efficiency.
  • Security Risks
    As with any network service, misconfiguration or lack of updates can expose Samba to security vulnerabilities, requiring careful management and regular updates.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running Samba services can be resource-intensive, requiring sufficient hardware resources to maintain optimal performance, especially in larger network environments.
  • Occasional Compatibility Issues
    While Samba strives for compatibility, there may occasionally be issues with newer Windows features or complex Active Directory environments.

Windows Server Essentials features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Samba videos

Samba OG 3 Month Review | Uncomfortable?

More videos:

  • Review - (Best Value Indoor Shoe) Adidas Samba Classic - Review + On Feet
  • Review - Adidas Samba Classic Indoor - Unboxing + On Feet

Windows Server Essentials videos

No Windows Server Essentials videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Samba and Windows Server Essentials)
Cloud Computing
85 85%
15% 15
Cloud Storage
74 74%
26% 26
Identity And Access Management
Identity Provider
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Samba seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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.

Samba mentions (1)

  • Samba 4.16 broken?
    Well, it's the first Samba release in the ports since 4.13, and it isn't marked as broken. I'm not sure why you'd look on the samba.org site to see if the FreeBSD port has defects, or why you'd give me a link link to the Samba wiki for 4.13 when I'm very clearly asking about 4.16. Source: over 2 years ago

Windows Server Essentials mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Windows Server Essentials yet. Tracking of Windows Server Essentials recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Samba and Windows Server Essentials, you can also consider the following products

FreeIPA - FreeIPA is an integrated security information management solution combining Linux (Fedora), 389...

Zentyal - Linux directory, domain, mail, gateway and infrastructure server for SMBs.

OpenLDAP - OpenLDAP Software is an open source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.

OpenMediaVault - OpenMediaVault is the next generation network attached storage (NAS) solution based on Debian Linux.

ClearOS - A very good alternative for Windows Server, for free

Univention Corporate Server - Univention Corporate Server UCS with Active Directory functions and App Center is the cost-efficient and popular successor to Microsoft's server solutions.