SeaweedFS

SeaweedFS is a distributed storage system that serves S3 objects, Iceberg tables, and POSIX files from a single cluster. It supports S3, POSIX mounts, HDFS-compatible access, an Iceberg REST catalog, and WebDAV. Its built-in Iceberg catalog works with Spark, Trino, Dremio, and DuckDB. The product describes scaling from gigabytes to petabytes and supporting billions of files. Development and testing under 25 TB are free, but production deployments require a paid license regardless of size. Capacity license pricing starts at $2 a month, based on used storage including replication or erasure-coding overhead. Enterprise features include restoring deleted files during a configurable retention window, point-in-time recovery for folders, buckets, or objects, and automatic repair and checksum checks for erasure-coding shards. The free 25 TB trial limits deleted-file recovery to a one-hour retention window. Enterprise support is optional and purchased separately from the capacity license. If an Enterprise license expires, SeaweedFS says data remains accessible through the open-source implementation, but self-healing features are disabled.

SeaweedFS combines multiple storage interfaces in one distributed cluster and offers additional enterprise recovery and protection features. Its free allowance is for development and testing; production deployments need a paid capacity license.

SeaweedFS may suit teams seeking one cluster for object, table, and POSIX file storage. Production users should account for the paid license requirement, and enterprise support is a separate purchase.

SeaweedFS is distributed storage for teams that want S3 objects, Iceberg tables and POSIX files served from one cluster. It suits operators building self-hosted storage for several workloads, especially when they also need recovery and data-protection controls.

Overview

The cluster supports S3, POSIX mounts, HDFS-compatible access, an Iceberg REST catalog and WebDAV. Its maker says it scales from gigabytes to petabytes and supports billions of files, a range that puts it in scope for both growing deployments and very large data estates. Combining interfaces can reduce the need to maintain separate storage systems; the trade-off is a distributed platform that operators must deploy and manage themselves.

Key features

The built-in Iceberg catalog supports Spark, Trino, Dremio and DuckDB. That makes SeaweedFS a practical candidate for teams that want table-catalog access alongside file and object storage. S3 features include object versioning, lifecycle rules, immutability and cross-region replication, which cover a broad set of object-storage requirements.

Enterprise recovery features address mistakes and storage failures. Admins can restore deleted files through the Admin UI during a configurable retention window; the free 25 TB trial limits that window to one hour. Point-in-time recovery can rewind a folder, bucket or object, restoring deletes or reverting overwrites, and provides a preview before applying changes. Enterprise also repairs missing or corrupted erasure-coding shards and checks shards against checksums to catch silent corruption. Customizable erasure coding can use a 20+4 ratio with 1.2× storage overhead, according to the maker.

Enterprise Admin UI supports OIDC sign-in and role mapping, with examples including Keycloak, Okta, Azure AD and Microsoft ADFS. Deployment guidance offers an official repository binary and the chrislusf/seaweedfs-enterprise container image. If an Enterprise license expires, the open-source implementation remains accessible, but self-healing features are disabled—a meaningful continuity safeguard, though not a substitute for keeping a production license current.

Pricing

Community support is free for clusters of any size, with GitHub issues and discussions, public documentation and no guaranteed response time. Development and testing is also free under 25 TB, but it is limited to non-production use. Production requires a paid capacity license regardless of cluster size.

The Capacity license — Monthly costs $2 a month, billed Pay as you go. The Capacity license — Yearly costs $20 a year, billed Simplified billing, and saves ~17%. Both charge against used storage including replication and erasure-coding overhead. These low entry prices are for capacity licensing, not bundled support; support is optional and purchased separately.

Annual support tiers target progressively larger or more demanding deployments. Essential support costs $2,000 a year for clusters up to 100 TB, private email support, a 5-business-day response and one advisory hour per month. Small Production support is $5,000 a year for up to 250 TB, with a 3-business-day response, two advisory hours monthly and an annual configuration review. Growth support costs $15,000 a year for up to 1 PB, with a 2–3-business-day response, four advisory hours monthly, upgrade guidance and deployment assistance.

Standard support costs $40,000 a year for multi-petabyte deployments and adds private Slack and email, a 1-business-day response, eight advisory hours monthly, and architecture and deployment assistance. Critical support costs $85,000 a year for revenue-bearing workloads, with a 1-hour P1 response, private Slack, email and Zoom, direct engineering escalation and up to 12 advisory hours monthly. Enterprise 5 PB+ uses custom volume pricing for 5 PB+ deployments, with volume discounts and custom contracts and invoicing. The support tiers make response expectations clearer, but their annual fees can substantially exceed the capacity-license price.

Platforms

SeaweedFS supports API access and runs on Linux, macOS and Windows, with self-hosted deployment. This suits teams able to operate infrastructure across those environments; it is not positioned as a hosted storage service.

Who it's for

SeaweedFS is strongest for infrastructure and data teams consolidating object, file and table access, or operating large self-hosted clusters that benefit from enterprise recovery, shard repair and OIDC administration. It is a poor fit for production users seeking a free deployment, bundled support or a managed service: production licensing is mandatory, support costs extra, and deployment is self-hosted.

Pros and cons

• Broad access in one cluster: S3, POSIX, HDFS-compatible, Iceberg REST and WebDAV support varied storage workflows.
• Useful recovery controls: Enterprise can restore deletes and rewind overwrites, while automated shard repair and checksum checks add protection against storage faults.
• Low published capacity-license entry price: Monthly or yearly licensing starts at $2 a month, but production still requires a paid license and usage includes protection overhead.
• Support is a separate, substantial commitment: Annual fees range from $2,000 to $85,000, so teams needing defined response targets should budget beyond the capacity license.
• Self-hosted operation is required: Teams wanting managed storage should look elsewhere.

Alternatives

Ceph is a free option for teams needing open-source distributed storage; its block-storage use requires a running Ceph cluster. OpenEBS is a free, open-source Kubernetes storage option. VMware Workstation Pro is free software for 64-bit Intel or AMD PCs running Windows or Linux hosts. Gluster is a free and open-source alternative for Linux and self-hosted use.

JuiceFS offers a free self-hosted Community Edition with community support through GitHub and Discord, making it worth considering for teams comparing community-supported options. MinIO AIStor has a free single-node option with its full feature set, though redistribution is prohibited. MooseFS has a free GPLv2 Community edition with a single active master and single-parity erasure coding. StarWind Virtual SAN has a free, self-supported option with functionality limitations; its Linux KVM version may have no limitations.

Software-Defined Storage Software, Distributed File System Software and Storage Replication Software are useful broader categories for comparing approaches.

Verdict

Choose SeaweedFS if your team can run a self-hosted distributed system and wants multiple storage interfaces plus enterprise-grade recovery and shard protection in one cluster. Its breadth and recovery features are compelling for production operators, but mandatory capacity licensing and separately priced support make it a poor match for teams that need free production storage or managed operations.