- Home
- Bare Metal as a Service (BMaaS) Software
- OpenStack Ironic
OpenStack Ironic
What it is
OpenStack Ironic is open-source software for provisioning and managing bare-metal machines. It can run independently or operate within an OpenStack cloud, using network and remote-management methods such as PXE, IPMI, and vendor-specific protocols. Its documented lifecycle covers hardware inspection, deployment, cleaning, adoption, retirement, RAID and BIOS configuration, firmware updates, and rescue operations. Deployment documentation describes standalone installations, OpenStack without Nova, and full OpenStack arrangements with Nova and Placement. A standalone setup is described for one to hundreds of nodes, but it does not provide multi-tenancy. Ironic integrates with Keystone Identity, Nova Compute, Neutron Network, Glance Image, and Swift Object services. API authentication and authorization use Keystone and Secure RBAC. By default, nodes use a flat network, while OpenStack integration can provide tenant-network isolation. The project is free under the Apache 2.0 license.
For and against
For
- Bare-metal provisioning
- PXE, IPMI, and vendor protocol support
- Hardware inspection and lifecycle actions
- OpenStack service integrations
- Free Apache 2.0 project
Against
- Standalone mode lacks multi-tenancy
- Default network is flat
- Cleaning does not reset BIOS or firmware
- Operators must secure their environments
The verdict
OpenStack Ironic focuses on bare-metal provisioning with broad lifecycle controls and OpenStack integration. Review its network-isolation and cleaning limits before choosing a deployment model.
Who it suits
It suits operators provisioning bare-metal hardware through Linux, API, or self-hosted deployments. It is relevant to teams using OpenStack services or standalone node management.
Plans and prices
OpenStack Ironic
No price or plan limits stated on the official pages reviewed
Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.openstack.org
On the record
- Deployment options
- Documented scenarios include standalone deployments, OpenStack without Nova, and full OpenStack deployments with Nova and Placement.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Disk cleaning limit
- By default, cleaning erases local disk drives after instance deletion but does not reset BIOS, reflash firmware, or erase peripheral devices.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Hardware lifecycle
- Documented features include inspection, deployment, cleaning, adoption, retirement, RAID and BIOS configuration, firmware updates, and rescue.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Hardware management
- It manages hardware through common protocols such as PXE and IPMI as well as vendor-specific remote management protocols.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The documentation lists integrations with OpenStack Identity (Keystone), Compute (Nova), Network (Neutron), Image (Glance), and Object (Swift).docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- License
- The OpenStack project is provided under the Apache 2.0 license.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Ironic provisions bare-metal machines and can run independently or as part of an OpenStack cloud.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Security and access
- The security overview describes API authentication and authorization through Keystone and a Secure RBAC model, while advising operators to assess and secure their own environments.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Standalone scale
- The standalone scenario is listed for one to hundreds of nodes and does not provide multi-tenancy.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Support and community
- The documentation links to support resources, bug reporting and triaging, and the Bare Metal community for engagement.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Tenant isolation limit
- By default, nodes are provisioned on a flat network without precautions against interactions between tenants; the documentation says integration with OpenStack services can provide tenant-network isolation.docs.openstack.org · read 4 Oct 2026
