Obstor
What it is
Obstor is an Apache 2.0-licensed S3-compatible object storage server with a built-in SFTP service. It works with S3 SDKs, command-line tools, and applications without code changes. In distributed deployments, it shards objects among connected nodes and replicates them, keeping each object in at least two global locations. Files uploaded through its native SFTP server are stored as S3 objects. Data features include SSE-C and SSE-S3 server-side encryption with KMS integration, configurable erasure coding, and object versioning with lifecycle policies. IAM controls use users, groups, policies, and service accounts with S3 and AWS IAM policy syntax. Event notifications can be sent to Kafka, NATS, AMQP, Redis, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and webhooks. Deployment options include a single binary, Docker, a Kubernetes Helm chart, or building from source. Standalone setup instructions cover macOS, GNU/Linux, and 64-bit Windows. However, standalone servers are intended for development and evaluation; versioning, object locking, and bucket replication require distributed deployment with erasure coding.
For and against
For
- Works with S3 tools and applications without code changes.
- Built-in SFTP uploads become S3 objects.
- Supports configurable erasure coding and object versioning.
- Multiple deployment options include Docker and Kubernetes Helm.
- Apache 2.0 licensed.
Against
- Standalone servers are intended for development and evaluation.
- Versioning, object locking, and bucket replication require distributed deployment with erasure coding.
The verdict
Obstor combines S3 compatibility with SFTP, storage protections, access controls, and event notifications. Check the deployment requirements: several storage features need a distributed setup with erasure coding.
Who it suits
Obstor suits teams seeking self-hosted, S3-compatible object storage with SFTP access and distributed storage options. Its standalone setup is positioned for development and evaluation rather than those specific distributed features.
Plans and prices
Open source
Apache 2.0 license · self-hosted
Read 30 Sep 2026 · obstor.net
On the record
- Access control
- Obstor provides IAM with users, groups, policies, and service accounts using S3 and AWS IAM policy syntax.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Compose limit
- The Docker Compose example creates four distributed instances and supports up to 16 Obstor services.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Deployment
- Installation options include a single binary, Docker, Kubernetes Helm chart, or building from source.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Distributed storage
- Objects are automatically sharded and replicated across connected nodes, with each object stored in at least two global locations.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Encryption
- Obstor supports SSE-C and SSE-S3 server-side encryption, including KMS integration.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Encryption primitives
- Obstor uses HMAC-SHA-256 for key derivation and AES-256-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305 for authenticated encryption.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Erasure coding
- Erasure coding protects data against drive and node failures with configurable parity.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Notifications
- Event notifications can be pushed to Kafka, NATS, AMQP, Redis, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and webhooks.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Product
- Obstor is an Apache 2.0 licensed, S3-compatible object storage server with built-in SFTP support.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- S3 compatibility
- Obstor works with S3 SDKs, CLI tools, and applications without code changes.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- SFTP
- Obstor includes a native SFTP server, and SFTP-uploaded files are stored as S3 objects.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
- Standalone limitations
- Standalone servers are intended for development and evaluation; versioning, object locking, and bucket replication require distributed deployment with erasure coding.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Supported systems
- Official documentation provides standalone instructions for macOS, GNU/Linux, and 64-bit Windows.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Use cases
- The project describes Obstor as suitable for machine learning, analytics, and application data workloads.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Versioning
- Obstor provides object versioning with lifecycle policies for history, recovery, and retention requirements.obstor.net · read 30 Sep 2026
