Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SnapRAID VS mergerfs

Compare SnapRAID VS mergerfs and see what are their differences

SnapRAID logo SnapRAID

A backup program for disk arrays. It stores parity information of your data and it recovers from up to six disk failures.

mergerfs logo mergerfs

mergerfs is a union filesystem geared towards simplifing storage and management of files across...
  • SnapRAID Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-09
  • mergerfs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-27

SnapRAID features and specs

  • Data Protection
    SnapRAID provides data protection by offering redundancy through parity, which helps in recovering data in case of a drive failure.
  • Flexibility
    SnapRAID allows the use of disks of different sizes and types even after the initial setup, which is not common in traditional RAID systems.
  • Snapshot Storage
    SnapRAID uses snapshots to protect against accidental deletions and file system corruption, maintaining multiple points in time for recovery.
  • Read Performance
    Since SnapRAID is not a real-time RAID solution, it doesn't impact read performance. Data is read directly from the data disks.
  • No Drive Spanning
    Unlike traditional RAID systems, SnapRAID doesn't span files across multiple drives, which reduces complexity and the risk of data loss.

Possible disadvantages of SnapRAID

  • Not Real-Time
    SnapRAID is not a real-time RAID solution, meaning changes are not protected until a sync operation is performed.
  • No Write Performance Improvement
    SnapRAID does not improve write performance as traditional RAID systems do, since it doesn't stripe data across disks in real-time.
  • Manual Sync
    Users need to perform manual sync operations to update parity information, which can be cumbersome and requires regular maintenance.
  • Limited to Static Data
    SnapRAID is best suited for data that doesn't change often, such as media libraries, since frequent changes require constant sync operations.
  • No Real-Time Redundancy
    Real-time redundancy is not available, leaving the system vulnerable to data loss between sync operations.

mergerfs features and specs

  • Flexibility
    mergerfs offers a flexible way to merge multiple filesystems or drives into a single virtual pool, allowing users to utilize and manage disparate storage resources effectively.
  • Configurable Behavior
    It provides a highly configurable set of options, granting users control over how files are distributed, accessed, and managed within the pool. This includes options for policies regarding read-write actions, path-preservation, and space allocation.
  • FUSE-based
    Being a FUSE-based solution, mergerfs does not require kernel-level modifications, making it easier to install and use on various UNIX-like operating systems.
  • Snapshot and Backup Friendliness
    Files are stored on the underlying filesystems in a normal manner, which makes mergerfs compatible with snapshot and backup tools that work at the file level.
  • Active Development
    mergerfs is actively maintained and updated, ensuring it remains compatible with new operating system versions and receives bug fixes and feature enhancements.

Possible disadvantages of mergerfs

  • Single Point of Failure
    As with any pooled storage, if the point where mergerfs is mounted fails or becomes unstable, access to the merged data can be affected, representing a potential single point of failure.
  • FUSE Performance Overhead
    While FUSE provides flexibility and ease of use, it tends to introduce a performance overhead compared to kernel-based filesystem solutions, which can impact the speed of data operations.
  • Complexity in Configuration
    For users unfamiliar with filesystem behaviors and configurations, setting up and tuning mergerfs can be complex and may require a learning curve to fully leverage its features.
  • No Native RAID Support
    mergerfs itself does not provide redundancy or fault tolerance like traditional RAID systems, which means users need to implement additional solutions if data redundancy is required.
  • No Built-in Encryption
    mergerfs does not include built-in encryption features, so users requiring encrypted storage will need to rely on underlying filesystem capabilities or external tools.

SnapRAID videos

Snapraid and Unionfs: Advanced Array Options on Openmediavault (Better than ZFS and Unraid)

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to setup Snapraid and DrivePool in Windows
  • Review - Part 5 - Perfect Media Server 2017 - Installing and Automating SnapRAID

mergerfs videos

No mergerfs videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SnapRAID and mergerfs)
Cloud Storage
53 53%
47% 47
Cloud Computing
51 51%
49% 49
Storage
57 57%
43% 43
Backup & Sync
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 SnapRAID and mergerfs

SnapRAID Reviews

9 Of The Best FreeNAS Alternatives For Your Storage Needs
SnapRAID is another of the FreeNAS alternatives that enable you to store information and then provide you with a secure backup. The best part about this app is that it works effortlessly with both Linux and Windows.
15 FreeNAS Alternatives 2020 | Best Storage Operating System
You should know that SnapRAID is an excellent file server system for small businesses enabling users for effective data management without affecting the internal structures. We highly recommend SnapRAID to SMBs owners.
15 Best FreeNas alternatives in 2020
If you may feel a need to backup all your data then you won’t find the best tool than SnapRAID which is one of the best alternatives to Freenas. It is a type of useful backup program for all types of disk arrays which can store huge data of information. Yes, you can also recover the entire data up to 6 disk failures just with the help of this alternative to Freenas. You...
10 Best FreeNas alternatives in 2020
This FreeNas alternative is reinforcement the management program that stores the halfway data of any information and, later on, makes them ready to recuperate back the information from up to six information disappointments. SnapRAID is, for the most part, intended for the home media communities to make these clients ready to deal with their information successfully with the...
Source: omy9.com

mergerfs Reviews

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

Based on our record, mergerfs seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 87 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.

SnapRAID mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SnapRAID yet. Tracking of SnapRAID recommendations started around Mar 2021.

mergerfs mentions (87)

  • Mergerfs and Snapraid installation
    I am planning to use ubuntu server, and I would like to ask an advice: according to snapraid's download page and mergerfs' github page, it seems to be suggested to download directly their source instead of using ubuntu's package manager. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Merge/Raid HDD documentation
    It seems similar to mergerfs https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs . I havent gone through any code to verify but this is what it seems like. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Can Rclone be reliably used as a R/W cache or is there something better suited to that task?
    Something else to try is mergerfs, https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Looking for a solution to merge storage accross WAN
    I use mergerfs for my Google drive, Dropbox and local drives to appear as a single folder structure on my server so my plex doesn't require multiple mappings. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Unpackerr and Hardlinks, help needed
    Your paths are "fine", but they're not great. If you have multiple drives, you might also be interested in mergerfs to skoosh them all into "one" path, like /merge. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing SnapRAID and mergerfs, you can also consider the following products

TrueNAS Core - TrueNAS Core (formerly FreeNAS) is a storage operating system strong and robust enough to meet the needs of enterprise level businesses.

StableBit DrivePool - State of the art, file based drive pooling software.

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

btrfs - Btrfs is a modern copy on write (CoW) filesystem for Linux aimed at implementing advanced features...

XigmaNAS - File Sharing, OS & Utilities, and Security & Privacy

mhddfs - The driver combines a several mount points into the single one.