Ceph vs ownCloud Infinite Scale
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
ownCloud Infinite Scale
Go-based file sync and share server, successor to ownCloud PHP
| Feature | Ceph | ownCloud Infinite Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,069 | ★ 2,127 |
| First released | 2006 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Amazon S3, Google Drive | Dropbox, Google Drive |
What are Ceph and ownCloud Infinite Scale?
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
ownCloud Infinite Scale
ownCloud Infinite Scale (oCIS) is the Go-based successor to the PHP ownCloud server. It provides file sync and share with a microservices architecture, Spaces for team collaboration, and OpenID Connect authentication.
- Built in Go for performance
- Spaces-based collaboration
- OpenID Connect support
Ceph vs ownCloud Infinite Scale: key differences
Ceph is written in C++, while ownCloud Infinite Scale is built with Go. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for Ceph versus Apache-2.0 for ownCloud Infinite Scale. OwnCloud Infinite Scale 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 ownCloud Infinite Scale arrived in 2020. Ceph has the considerably larger community, at 17,069 GitHub stars versus 2,127.
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 ownCloud Infinite Scale if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Ceph or ownCloud Infinite Scale better?
Neither is universally better. Ceph has the larger community, while ownCloud Infinite Scale is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ceph and ownCloud Infinite Scale free and open-source?
Yes. Ceph is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and ownCloud Infinite Scale under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ceph and ownCloud Infinite Scale with Docker?
Ceph: yes. ownCloud Infinite Scale: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ceph or ownCloud Infinite Scale?
ownCloud Infinite Scale 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.