Ceph vs copyparty
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Ceph
Distributed object, block, and file storage platform
VS
copyparty
Portable file server with accelerated resumable uploads
| Feature | Ceph | copyparty |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,069 | ★ 46,774 |
| First released | 2006 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Amazon S3, Google Drive | Dropbox, Google Drive |
What are Ceph and copyparty?
Ceph
Ceph is a highly scalable distributed storage system that provides object, block, and file storage in a unified cluster. It is designed for fault tolerance with no single point of failure.
- Unified object, block, and file storage
- Self-healing and self-managing
- Massive scalability
copyparty
copyparty is a portable file server with features including resumable uploads, deduplication, WebDAV, FTP, and media indexing. It runs from a single Python file with no dependencies.
- Accelerated resumable uploads
- WebDAV, FTP, and TFTP support
- Single-file Python deployment
Ceph vs copyparty: key differences
Ceph is written in C++, while copyparty is built with Python. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for Ceph versus MIT for copyparty. Copyparty is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Ceph. Ceph is the more established project (first released 2006), while copyparty arrived in 2019. Copyparty has the considerably larger community, at 46,774 GitHub stars versus 17,069.
Why pick each one
Choose Ceph if…
- Object, block and file
- No single failure point
- Massive proven scalability
Watch out for
- Steep operational complexity
- Needs multiple nodes
- High hardware requirements
Choose copyparty if…
- Single-file deployment
- Fast resumable uploads
- WebDAV and FTP built in
Watch out for
- Unconventional interface
- Many flags to learn
Frequently asked questions
Is Ceph or copyparty better?
copyparty is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Ceph if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ceph and copyparty free and open-source?
Yes. Ceph is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and copyparty under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ceph and copyparty with Docker?
Ceph: yes. copyparty: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ceph or copyparty?
copyparty has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Ceph. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.