Garage vs SeaweedFS
Self-host pick — both replace AWS S3 (Object storage / blob store).
Both Garage and SeaweedFS self-host as a replacement for AWS S3 (Object storage / blob store). Pick Garage if you want a AGPL-licensed codebase (AGPL-3.0); pick SeaweedFS for Apache (Apache-2.0). Both run in roughly the same cost bracket — $15/mo for 3 small vpses geographically spread; garage is built for low-end, geo-distributed hardware vs $5-10 vps for small deployments; designed to scale to billions of small files cheaply.
| Garageopen-source | SeaweedFSopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Setup time | 20min docker-compose for a 3-node cluster | 15min docker-compose (master + volume + filer) |
| Monthly cost | $15/mo for 3 small VPSes geographically spread; Garage is built for low-end, geo-distributed hardware. | $5-10 VPS for small deployments; designed to scale to billions of small files cheaply. |
| GitHub | deuxfleurs-org/garage | seaweedfs/seaweedfs |
| Replaces | AWS S3 | AWS S3 |
Good fit for
Garage
Geo-replicated storage on cheap, heterogeneous hardware (Garage was written by an internet co-op for exactly this).
Weak at:Less polished than MinIO; smaller community; no admin GUI by default.
SeaweedFS
Workloads with billions of small files (thumbnails, IoT events) where MinIO's per-object overhead bites.
Weak at:Operational surface is larger (master / volume / filer / S3 components); weaker GUI than MinIO.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli aws-s3 prints AWS S3's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, Garage or SeaweedFS?
Garage: 20min docker-compose for a 3-node cluster. SeaweedFS: 15min docker-compose (master + volume + filer).
What does each cost to run?
Garage: $15/mo for 3 small VPSes geographically spread; Garage is built for low-end, geo-distributed hardware.. SeaweedFS: $5-10 VPS for small deployments; designed to scale to billions of small files cheaply.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Garage and SeaweedFS replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to AWS S3.