Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

XigmaNAS VS pkgsrc

Compare XigmaNAS VS pkgsrc and see what are their differences

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.

XigmaNAS logo XigmaNAS

File Sharing, OS & Utilities, and Security & Privacy

pkgsrc logo pkgsrc

pkgsrc is a framework for building over 17,000 open source software packages.
  • XigmaNAS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-25
  • pkgsrc Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-30

XigmaNAS features and specs

  • Open Source
    XigmaNAS is open-source software, which means it's free to use, and its source code can be modified and customized by users.
  • Advanced Features
    XigmaNAS offers a wide range of advanced features such as ZFS support, disk encryption, and software RAID, making it suitable for complex storage needs.
  • Community Support
    A vibrant community provides support through forums and documentation, which can be valuable for troubleshooting and obtaining advice.
  • Cross-Platform Access
    Provides access across different platforms and protocols such as CIFS/SMB, FTP, NFS, TFTP, and AFP, ensuring compatibility with various operating systems.
  • Easy to Use Interface
    The web-based graphical user interface is user-friendly, making it easier to manage storage even for users with limited technical expertise.

Possible disadvantages of XigmaNAS

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Despite having a user-friendly interface, the broad feature set can be complex, requiring a certain level of expertise to fully utilize.
  • Hardware Requirements
    Advanced features like ZFS tend to be resource-intensive, requiring more powerful hardware to run effectively.
  • Limited Dedicated Support
    While community support is robust, there is limited direct professional support available, which can be a downside for enterprise-level users.
  • Not a Turnkey Solution
    Installation and initial setup can be time-consuming, and it may require additional configuration to meet specific needs, unlike some other out-of-the-box NAS solutions.
  • Updates and Maintenance
    Regular updates and maintenance may be required to keep the system secure and running smoothly, which demands ongoing attention from users.

pkgsrc features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    pkgsrc is designed to be a portable package management system and can be used on a variety of Unix-like operating systems, including NetBSD, Solaris, Linux, and macOS. This cross-platform capability makes it a versatile tool for developers working in diverse environments.
  • Consistency Across Systems
    Using pkgsrc allows for a consistent package management experience regardless of the underlying operating system, reducing the learning curve and maintenance overhead for administrators managing multiple systems.
  • Comprehensive Package Collection
    pkgsrc offers a wide range of software packages, providing a robust collection that can meet diverse user needs from scientific libraries to web applications.
  • Quarterly Releases
    With quarterly releases, pkgsrc provides a balanced approach between stability and keeping software up to date, offering users new features regularly while maintaining reliability.
  • Flexible Build Options
    pkgsrc supports a flexible build system, allowing users to customize package builds with specific options or dependencies, tailored to their specific needs or system requirements.

Possible disadvantages of pkgsrc

  • Smaller Community
    Compared to other popular package management systems like apt (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum (RedHat/CentOS), pkgsrc has a relatively smaller community, which might affect the availability of support and community-driven improvements.
  • Potentially Older Software
    While pkgsrc maintains stable quarterly releases, it may occasionally lag behind other systems in terms of offering the very latest versions of certain software, which might not be ideal for users needing the newest features.
  • Manual Configuration
    Setting up pkgsrc might require manual interventions and configurations, which could pose a hurdle for users unfamiliar with its setup process or those who prefer more automated solutions.
  • Dependency Management
    Although pkgsrc is quite capable in dependency handling, some users may find its dependency resolution to be less automatic or seamless compared to other systems which offer more integrated solutions.
  • Performance Overhead
    Because it is designed to be cross-platform, there can be some performance overhead associated with using pkgsrc compared to native package managers that are optimized for specific operating systems.

Analysis of XigmaNAS

Overall verdict

  • XigmaNAS is a solid choice for users looking for a free and open-source NAS solution with flexibility and strong community support. However, its appeal may be more towards those comfortable with managing their own hardware and network configurations, rather than complete tech novices.

Why this product is good

  • XigmaNAS is considered good because it is a reliable and open-source network-attached storage (NAS) system that supports a wide range of protocols, making it versatile for different kinds of network environments. It is user-friendly with a web-based interface, offers robust features like disk encryption, software RAID, and ZFS support, and its community-driven approach ensures continual updates and support.

Recommended for

  • Home users wanting to set up personal cloud storage.
  • Small to medium businesses looking for a cost-effective storage solution.
  • Tech-savvy individuals who enjoy tinkering with open-source software.
  • IT professionals in need of a flexible and scalable NAS system.

XigmaNAS videos

XigmaNAS Install (2020) | Practical IT

More videos:

  • Review - NAS Server Build using Xigmanas
  • Tutorial - How to Install and Configure XigmaNAS 12.1 Storage (NAS4Free) on VMware Workstation

pkgsrc videos

pkgsrc on ChromeOS

More videos:

  • Review - Using pkgsrc for multi-platform deployments in heterogeneous environments, G Clifford Williams

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to XigmaNAS and pkgsrc)
Cloud Storage
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
Package Manager
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare XigmaNAS and pkgsrc

XigmaNAS Reviews

9 Of The Best FreeNAS Alternatives For Your Storage Needs
Next, on the list of FreeNAS alternatives, we have XigmaNAS. Like most of the tools here, this is an open-source arrangement. It works on the Apple, Windows, and Unix-based networks. Like FreeNAS, this tool has ZFS v5000, which makes security a breeze.
Top 7 FreeNas Alternative For Your PC
XigmaNAS being the FreeNAS alternative, is easy to install on any hardware network to share the PC data storage over the network & store this in a computer network. Network Attached Storage & โ€œ4โ€ for open-source, XigmaNAS is the fastest and simplest way of creating the centralized and straightforward to get the server for various data!
Top 15 Best TrueNAS Alternatives In 2022
A flexible, open-source storage NAS, XigmaNAS offers a dependable management web interface to give consumers a cutting-edge storage option. Also check sandbox software
15 FreeNAS Alternatives 2020 | Best Storage Operating System
Based on FreeBSD, XigmaNAS, formerly known as NAS4Free, is a free, open-source, FreeNAS alternative and a continuation of the FreeNAS 7 series sharing several similar attributes. Like the former, XigmaNAS allows data to be shared and accessed over a vast network system supporting Unix-like, Windows, and Apple.

pkgsrc Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

pkgsrc might be a bit more popular than XigmaNAS. We know about 11 links to it since March 2021 and only 9 links to XigmaNAS. 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.

XigmaNAS mentions (9)

  • OpenBSD Innovations
    BSDs may not have a significant presence on desktops, but they're well known in the networking world for their reliability. They also were the foundation used to build OSes for specific applications. OpnSense and XigmaNAS, for example, are two excellent FreeBSD based applications aimed at firewalling/security and NAS/services. https://opnsense.org/ https://xigmanas.com/xnaswp/. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Looking for Drobo 5D replacement for M1 Macs
    A standalone NAS running ZFS as the filesystem. So XigmaNAS, TrueNAS, etc. Works beautifully. Source: over 3 years ago
  • good os for nas
    XsigmaNAS - the father of freenas/truenas, much lighter on resources but development kinda stuck in just updating OS and packages and to be able to communicate with community, one have to register on closed forum. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Wonder what everyone is using as a home server OS .. and why:)..
    XigmaNAS. Other machine is Xen. Most likely will move to Proxmox. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Data hoarding newbie here, considering archival/backup/duplication options
    A NAS does not necessarily need to run 24/7. The better option IMHO would be a selfbuilt NAS with ZFS on 3x mirror https://xigmanas.com/xnaswp/ | https://www.truenas.com/. Source: over 3 years ago
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pkgsrc mentions (11)

  • Debian isn't waiting for 2038 to blow up, switches to 64-bit time for everything
    > Most open source software packages are also compiled for BSD variants, they switched to 64 bit time_t a long time ago and reported back upstream any problems. * NetBSD in 2012: https://www.netbsd.org/releases/formal-6/NetBSD-6.0.html * OpenBSD in 2014: http://www.openbsd.org/55.html For packaging, NetBSD uses their (multi-platform) Pkgsrc, which has 29,000 packages, which probably covers a large swath of... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Our Audit of Homebrew
    > https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ Note that Pkgsrc is a NetBSD-derived project. * https://pkgsrc.org The Joyent folks leveraged it to allow their customers, who were perhaps not as familiar with Solaris/SmartOS, a larger pool of packages. Pkgsrc was running on Solaris before Joyent, Joyent built on top of it. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Show HN: Brioche โ€“ A new Nix-like package manager
    Https://pkgsrc.org/ from netbsd runs on many systems. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Installing packages without an internet connection?
    It seems according to pkgsrc.org that pkgin might follow the PKG_PATH environment variable. You're supposed to set PKG_PATH="http://cdn.NetBSD.org/pub/pkgsrc/packages/NetBSD/$(uname -p)/$(uname -r|cut -f '1 2' -d.)/All/", and according to uname(1), -p gives the processor architecture and -r gives the operating system [kernel] release. Source: over 3 years ago
  • pkgsrc.se is no more :(
    It seems like pkgsrc.org hasnโ€™t got the news yet. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing XigmaNAS and pkgsrc, you can also consider the following products

Amahi - Amahi is a media, home and app server software known for its easy-to-use user interface. Amahi has the best media, backup and web apps for small networks.

Conda - Binary package manager with support for environments.

PetaSAN - PetaSAN is an open source Scale-Out SAN solution offering massive scalability and performance.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

Open-E Data Storage Software SOHO - Get Open-E DSS V7 SOHO (Small Office Home Office), a free version of Open-E DSS V7 with basic functionalities of NAS/SAN software platform.

Yay - Yay is an AUR helper written in go, based on the design of yaourt, apacman and pacaur.