Software Alternatives & Startups

Seesaw VS CloudLinux

Compare Seesaw VS CloudLinux and see what are their differences

Seesaw

Seesaw is a Linux Virtual Server (LVS) based load balancing platform.

Rating
0 reviews
CloudLinux

Making Linux secure, stable, and profitable for thousands of hosting providers and data centers worldwide.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Seesaw seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 1 time since March 2021.

social mentions
1 vs 0
Education popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Seesaw
CloudLinux
Website github.com cloudlinux.com
Pricing —
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Seesaw 5 features
CloudLinux 5 features
  • Open-source
    Seesaw is open-source, which means it is freely available for use and modification. This can lead to lower costs and increased flexibility for organizations.
  • High Availability
    Seesaw is designed as a software load balancer for Linux, providing high availability and reliability for network services.
  • Scalability
    Seesaw can handle a large number of connections, making it suitable for scaling applications and services effectively.
  • Community Support
    As an open-source project hosted on GitHub, Seesaw benefits from community support, which can result in more rapid improvements and shared knowledge.
  • Integration
    Seesaw can be integrated with existing network infrastructure and can work with various network protocols and services.

Possible disadvantages

  • Maintenance
    Being an open-source project, Seesaw might require significant maintenance efforts from the user's side to keep it up-to-date and secure.
  • Complexity
    Deploying and managing Seesaw can be complex, requiring a deep understanding of network configurations and load balancing techniques.
  • Limited Documentation
    The available documentation for Seesaw might be limited or not as comprehensive as commercial alternatives, which can be a barrier for new users.
  • Community Reliance
    Reliance on community support means that there might be slower response times and fewer guarantees for help compared to commercial support.
  • Niche Application
    Seesaw is mainly targeted at high-availability load balancing on Linux, which might not be suitable for all use cases or operating environments.
  • Enhanced Server Stability
    CloudLinux uses its lightweight virtualization technology (LVE) to isolate each tenant on a shared hosting server, preventing any single user from consuming excessive resources and crashing the server for everyone else. This ensures consistent uptime and performance.
  • Improved Security with HardenedPHP and KernelCare
    CloudLinux offers HardenedPHP, which patches old and unsupported PHP versions against known vulnerabilities, and KernelCare, which provides live kernel patching without requiring server reboots. These features significantly enhance server security posture.
  • Resource Limit Management
    Administrators can set granular resource limits (CPU, memory, I/O, number of processes, etc.) per user account using LVE Manager. This makes it easy to manage shared hosting environments and ensure fair resource distribution among tenants.
  • CageFS File System Virtualization
    CageFS creates a virtualized file system for each user, preventing them from seeing other users on the server, viewing sensitive configuration files, or exploiting server vulnerabilities. This adds an important layer of isolation and security.
  • Wide Compatibility with Hosting Panels
    CloudLinux integrates seamlessly with popular hosting control panels such as cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin, making it straightforward for hosting providers to adopt without overhauling their existing infrastructure or workflows.

Possible disadvantages

  • Additional Licensing Cost
    CloudLinux requires a paid monthly or annual license on top of the base server cost. For smaller hosting providers or individual server owners, this additional expense can add up and may not always be justifiable compared to free alternatives.
  • Limited to CentOS/RHEL-Based Systems
    CloudLinux is built on top of RHEL/CentOS and does not support other Linux distributions like Ubuntu or Debian. This limits its adoption for hosting providers who prefer or already run non-RHEL-based environments.
  • Learning Curve for Configuration
    While CloudLinux provides powerful resource management tools, properly configuring LVE limits, CageFS, PHP Selector, and other features requires a solid understanding of the platform. Misconfiguration can lead to users being unnecessarily restricted or resources being poorly allocated.
  • Potential Performance Overhead
    The additional layers of virtualization, resource monitoring, and file system isolation introduced by CloudLinux can impose a slight performance overhead on the server compared to running a bare, unmodified Linux distribution without these controls.
  • Dependency on CloudLinux Ecosystem
    Adopting CloudLinux means relying on their ecosystem for kernel updates, PHP patches, and security fixes. If the company experiences delays in releasing patches or changes its pricing/licensing model, hosting providers may find themselves locked into a dependency that is difficult to migrate away from.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Seesaw
CloudLinux

Overall verdict

  • Seesaw is a solid choice for those who need a reliable and customizable load balancing solution. It’s particularly well-regarded in scenarios requiring complex network traffic management.

Why this product is good

  • Seesaw is generally considered a good tool because it is a well-maintained, open-source load balancing library designed for managing TCP and UDP connections. It is useful in setting up robust network services due to its support for various balancing algorithms and high availability. The fact that it is open-source means it can be customized and adapted to specific use cases, making it a flexible choice for developers and systems administrators.

Recommended for

  • Network administrators
  • DevOps engineers
  • Organizations needing high availability of services
  • Developers looking for customizable load balancing solutions

Overall verdict

  • CloudLinux is a well-regarded, mature Linux OS distribution and toolset specifically designed for shared hosting and multi-tenant server environments, offering strong isolation, resource management, and security features that make it a solid choice for hosting providers.

Why this product is good

  • Provides LVE (Lightweight Virtual Environment) technology for per-tenant resource isolation, preventing 'bad neighbor' effects on shared servers
  • Enhances server stability and security by isolating users so that one account's issues (crashes, resource spikes) don't affect others
  • Offers extended lifecycle support (longer than standard CentOS/RHEL support windows), which is valuable for legacy systems
  • Includes tools like CloudLinux OS Shield, Imunify360 integration, and hardened kernel options for improved security
  • Compatible with popular control panels like cPanel and Plesk, making it easy to integrate into existing hosting stacks
  • Backed by an established company with a long track record in the hosting industry and responsive support
  • Offers granular control over CPU, memory, I/O, and other resources per user account
  • Provides PHP Selector and multiple PHP version support, useful for hosting providers serving diverse client needs

Recommended for

  • Web hosting companies running shared or reseller hosting environments
  • Hosting providers needing to isolate customer accounts on the same physical server
  • Businesses requiring extended OS support lifecycles beyond standard RHEL/CentOS EOL dates
  • Enterprises using cPanel or Plesk that want tighter security and resource control
  • Hosting companies looking to reduce support tickets caused by noisy-neighbor resource contention
  • IT teams managing multi-tenant infrastructure who need governance and monitoring tools built into the OS layer

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Seesaw 3 videos + Add
CloudLinux 3 videos + Add

Seesaw Review

More videos

  • - Using SeeSaw For Remote Learning (for younger grades)
  • - Seesaw Review

When To Use Cloudlinux On Your Virtual Private Server (VPS)

More videos

  • - CloudLinux OS+ in a minute: Explore Features
  • - How CloudLinux Plans to Keep CentOS 6 Alive

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Seesaw
CloudLinux
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Seesaw and CloudLinux. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Log in or Post with

Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Seesaw no reviews yet
CloudLinux no reviews yet
  • 10 Open Source Load Balancer for HA and Improved Performance
    geekflare.com · Jan 2022

    Seesaw is developed in Go language and works well on Ubuntu/Debian distro. It supports anycast, DSR (direct server return), and requires two Seesaw nodes. They can be either physical or virtual.

  • Top 5 Open-Source Load Balancers 2021
    linuxways.net · May 2021

    Seesaw is another top-performing open-source Load Balancer ensuring efficient website performance. The intuitive and user-friendly Load Balancer is very easy to use along with ensuring Multiple VLAN support, anycast,...

  • The 5 Best Open Source Load Balancers
    logz.io · Apr 2020

    Seesaw is another open-source load balancer written in Golang. It was originally created by Google SREs to provide a robust solution for load balancing internal Google infrastructure traffic. When choosing Seesaw,...

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Seesaw 1 mention
CloudLinux 0 mentions
  • A Foolish Consistency: Consul at Fly.io
    You could deploy your own: https://github.com/google/seesaw | how-to: https://render.com/blog/how-to-build-an-anycast-network Or have someone else deploy it for you: https://www.vultr.com/docs/configuring-bgp-on-vultr/ |... - Source: Hacker News / over 4 years ago

Tracking CloudLinux since Mar 2021.

Alternatives to Seesaw and CloudLinux

When comparing Seesaw and CloudLinux, you can also consider the following products.