Ceph vs FileGator
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
FileGator
Multi-user file manager with role-based access
| Feature | Ceph | FileGator |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,069 | ★ 3,078 |
| First released | 2006 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Amazon S3, Google Drive | Google Drive, Dropbox |
What are Ceph and FileGator?
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
FileGator
FileGator is a self-hosted multi-user file manager supporting various storage adapters such as local disk, FTP, and Amazon S3. It offers role-based permissions and a modern interface.
- Multiple storage adapters
- Role-based permissions
- Zip and unzip support
Ceph vs FileGator: key differences
Ceph is written in C++, while FileGator is built with PHP. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for Ceph versus MIT for FileGator. FileGator is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Ceph. Ceph is the more established project (first released 2006), while FileGator arrived in 2019. Ceph has the considerably larger community, at 17,069 GitHub stars versus 3,078.
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 FileGator if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Ceph or FileGator better?
Neither is universally better. Ceph has the larger community, while FileGator is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ceph and FileGator free and open-source?
Yes. Ceph is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and FileGator under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ceph and FileGator with Docker?
Ceph: yes. FileGator: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ceph or FileGator?
FileGator has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Ceph. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.