What is OpenEBS

OpenEBS is a distributed file system specifically designed for Kubernetes, aiming to simplify volume management within the Kubernetes environment. By leveraging various features of Kubernetes, OpenEBS automatically provisions volumes, alleviating users from the complexities of volume management. Notably, it supports Kubernetes’ PersistentVolumeClaim and PersistentVolume functionalities, enabling users to manage volumes with ease. Key features of OpenEBS include:

• Optimized for Kubernetes: OpenEBS simplifies volume management in the Kubernetes environment.
• Support for Various Storage Options: Through OpenEBS, users can choose from diverse storage options such as Local PV, Replicated PV, and RAID PV.
• Ease of Management: OpenEBS offers user-friendly installation and management processes.
• Open Source: OpenEBS is open-source software, continuously evolving and supported by its community.

Furthermore, OpenEBS can be utilized for various purposes, such as providing high-performance and availability needed for databases, storage for container environments, and scalability and availability for IoT applications. Thanks to these features and advantages, OpenEBS is recognized as a reliable storage solution by many enterprises and organizations using Kubernetes.

Let’s briefly compare OpenEBS with the previously discussed Ceph.

Design between OpenEBS and Ceph

• OpenEBS: is a distributed file system specially designed for Kubernetes, leveraging its features for automatic volume provisioning and management. It supports Kubernetes’ PersistentVolumeClaim and PersistentVolume, eliminating the need for users to manage volumes directly.
• Ceph: Ceph is a more general distributed file system, usable in various environments beyond Kubernetes. It offers a wide range of functionalities, including block storage, file storage, and object storage.

Functionality

• OpenEBS: supports Kubernetes’ PersistentVolumeClaim and PersistentVolume for providing storage to containers. Additionally, it offers diverse storage options like Local PV, Replicated PV, and RAID PV.
• Ceph: Ceph supports block, file, and object storage, making it versatile for different uses. It can be used in various environments and provides a broader set of features.

Complexity

• OpenEBS: is relatively simple to install and manage, using Kubernetes functionalities for automatic volume provisioning and management. It’s suitable for users familiar with Kubernetes.
• Ceph: Ceph is more complex in terms of installation and management. Given its broader range of features, a deep understanding of both Ceph and Kubernetes is required.

Performance

• OpenEBS: performance may vary depending on use cases and environments, but it can enhance its performance by leveraging Kubernetes features.
• Ceph: Generally, Ceph offers higher performance than OpenEBS. Due to its extensive features and resource utilization, it guarantees superior performance.

Conclusion

In reality, Ceph is a more universally applicable storage solution compared to OpenEBS, which is confined to Kubernetes. However, if setting up a relatively complex Ceph cluster for managing many smaller volumes seems daunting, OpenEBS might be worth considering. However, one must not overlook the inherent limitations of OpenEBS’s structure, especially when it comes to supporting large volumes.