Ceph vs elFinder
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Ceph
Distributed object, block, and file storage platform
VS
elFinder
Web file manager with a desktop-style interface
| Feature | Ceph | elFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,905 | ★ 4,800 |
| First released | 2006 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Amazon S3, Google Drive | Google Drive, Dropbox |
Why pick each one
Choose Ceph if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 16.9k GitHub stars
Choose elFinder if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Active community (4.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ceph or elFinder better?
Neither is universally better. Ceph has the larger community, while elFinder is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ceph and elFinder free and open-source?
Yes. Ceph is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and elFinder under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ceph and elFinder with Docker?
Ceph: yes. elFinder: check the project docs for container support.