Software Alternatives & Startups

Thingsboard VS CloudLinux

Compare Thingsboard VS CloudLinux and see what are their differences

Thingsboard

Thingsboard is an open-source IoT platform for data collection, processing, visualization, and device management.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
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, Thingsboard seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 10 times since March 2021.

social mentions
10 vs 0
Data Dashboard popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

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

Thingsboard
CloudLinux
Website thingsboard.io cloudlinux.com
Pricing
Open source Official pricing
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Thingsboard 7 features
CloudLinux 5 features
  • Open Source
    ThingsBoard is open-source, which means it's freely available for use and can be customized to meet specific needs. This makes it cost-effective for enterprises of all sizes.
  • Scalable
    It is designed to be scalable, supporting upwards of millions of devices. This makes it suitable for both small-scale projects and large-scale enterprise solutions.
  • Feature-Rich
    ThingsBoard offers a wide variety of features including data visualization, alarms, and rule chain processing. This comprehensive feature set can cover most IoT project requirements.
  • Community Support
    Being open-source, ThingsBoard benefits from an active community. Users can get support, share ideas, and contribute to the project's development.
  • Flexibility
    ThingsBoard provides a flexible data model and supports multiple IoT protocols (e.g., HTTP, MQTT, CoAP), allowing for a wide range of use cases.
  • Integration-ready
    It easily integrates with popular databases and third-party systems, streamlining the process of building IoT solutions.
  • Real-time Data Processing
    ThingsBoard supports real-time data processing and analytics which is crucial for timely decision-making in IoT applications.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complexity
    The extensive features and capabilities can make ThingsBoard complex to set up and configure, requiring a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Performance
    In some cases, users have reported performance issues when handling very high loads, which may require additional infrastructure or optimization.
  • Documentation
    While ThingsBoard has substantial documentation, some users find it can be lacking in certain areas or not sufficiently detailed for complex configurations.
  • Maintenance
    Being open-source, maintenance and updates might require more hands-on involvement compared to commercial alternatives, including dealing with potential bugs and security vulnerabilities.
  • Integration Complexity
    While ThingsBoard is integration-ready, the actual process of integrating it with other systems or custom solutions can be complex and may require additional development resources.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running a fully-featured ThingsBoard instance can be resource-intensive, requiring significant hardware and potentially increasing operational costs.
  • UI/UX Limitations
    The user interface, though functional, may not be as polished or intuitive as some commercial alternatives, potentially affecting user experience.
  • 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.

Thingsboard
CloudLinux

Overall verdict

  • Overall, ThingsBoard is a reliable and feature-rich platform that is suitable for businesses of various sizes looking to implement IoT solutions. Its open-source framework allows for extensive customization and integration with existing systems.

Why this product is good

  • ThingsBoard is considered a good IoT platform due to its open-source nature, flexibility, and scalability. It provides a rich set of features such as customizable dashboards, data visualization, remote device management, and powerful rule engine capabilities. Additionally, it supports a wide range of protocols like MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP, making it versatile for different IoT applications.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for an open-source IoT platform.
  • Companies that need scalable and flexible IoT solutions.
  • Industries that require extensive data visualization and device management features.
  • Projects that require support for multiple communication protocols.

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.

Thingsboard 3 videos + Add
CloudLinux 3 videos + Add

Getting started with ThingsBoard v2.0+

More videos

  • - What's new in ThingsBoard v3.1.x?
  • - ThingsBoard Community Edition: Introduction

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
Thingsboard
CloudLinux
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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

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Reviews and articles

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

Thingsboard no reviews yet
CloudLinux no reviews yet

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.

Thingsboard 10 mentions
CloudLinux 0 mentions
  • Real-Time IoT Visualization Essentials
    2. ThingsBoard: An open-source IoT platform that supports data visualization, remote control, and device management. Its real-time data widgets allow users to track device metrics dynamically. Https://thingsboard.io/. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Looking to implement a real time tracking feature in my Django project and I dunno where to begin
    You might find something more attuned to that use case to be more helpful out of the box (like thingsboard.io) but if you're committed to django, set up an API endpoint to receive json updates ('events') sent from the arduino. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Best Four IoT Platforms
    Introduction:As a 100% open source IoT platform that can be hosted as a SaaS or PaaS solution, Thingsboard can provide device management, data collection, processing and visualization for your IoT project. The standard protocols that... Source: almost 4 years ago

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Tracking CloudLinux since Mar 2021.

Alternatives to Thingsboard and CloudLinux

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