Ceph vs CryptPad
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
CryptPad
End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite
| Feature | Ceph | CryptPad |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,066 | ★ 7,946 |
| First released | 2006 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Amazon S3, Google Drive | Google Drive, Microsoft 365 |
What are Ceph and CryptPad?
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
CryptPad
CryptPad is an end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite with documents, spreadsheets, and a personal drive, where the server cannot read user data. It suits privacy-focused individuals and teams. It is deployed via Docker or a Node.js installation.
- Zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Documents, sheets and forms
- Personal encrypted drive
Ceph vs CryptPad: key differences
Ceph is written in C++, while CryptPad is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for Ceph versus AGPL-3.0 for CryptPad. CryptPad is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Ceph. Ceph is the more established project (first released 2006), while CryptPad arrived in 2015. Ceph has the considerably larger community, at 17,066 GitHub stars versus 7,946.
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 CryptPad if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Real-time collaboration
- No account needed to start
Watch out for
- Encryption limits server-side search
- Heavier client than plain editors
Frequently asked questions
Is Ceph or CryptPad better?
Neither is universally better. Ceph has the larger community, while CryptPad is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ceph and CryptPad free and open-source?
Yes. Ceph is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and CryptPad under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ceph and CryptPad with Docker?
Ceph: yes. CryptPad: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ceph or CryptPad?
CryptPad has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Ceph. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.