Apache CloudStack vs OpenStack: A Comprehensive Comparison and Selection Guide

History

Apache CloudStack began in 2008 as the VMOps project, later renamed Cloud.com, and was open‑sourced under GPLv3 in 2010. Citrix acquired Cloud.com in 2011, re‑licensed the code under the Apache License 2.0, and the project entered the Apache Incubator in April 2012, graduating to a top‑level project in March 2013. The current LTS version is 4.16.1.0 (released November 2021) and is used by organizations such as Telia, KDDI, NTT Data, BT, and many universities.

OpenStack was announced in July 2010 by Rackspace and NASA. Its early code came from NASA's Nebula and Rackspace Cloud Files. The first release, OpenStack Austin, appeared in October 2010. Subsequent releases added support from Canonical, Red Hat, and others. Notable users include China Mobile, T‑Mobile, Yahoo, PayPal, Walmart, and Comcast.

Architecture

Apache CloudStack

CloudStack abstracts servers, storage, and networking into a single multi‑tenant cloud management platform. It offers three APIs (OAM&P, end‑user, and plugin) and integrates with tools like Ansible, Terraform, and Packer. The platform includes built‑in support for KVM, VMware, XenServer/XCP‑NG, and Hyper‑V, as well as Kubernetes integration.

OpenStack

OpenStack is a collection of independent projects (Nova, Neutron, Cinder, Swift, Keystone, etc.) that together provide compute, networking, block storage, object storage, and identity services. It relies on a modular architecture where each component runs as a separate service.

Feature Comparison

The following matrix highlights the support of key features across both platforms.

APACHE CLOUDSTACK

OPENSTACK

FEATURE

KVM

VMWARE

XENSERVER

KVM

VMWARE

XENSERVER*

LAUNCH INSTANCE

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?**

STOP INSTANCE

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

ATTACH VOLUME TO INSTANCE (LIVE)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

DETACH VOLUME FROM INSTANCE (LIVE)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

ATTACH VIRTUAL NETWORK INTERFACE (LIVE)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

DETACH VIRTUAL NETWORK INTERFACE (LIVE)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

EVACUATE INSTANCES FROM HOST

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

REBUILD INSTANCE

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

GET INSTANCE STATUS

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

GET INSTANCE METRICS

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

INSTANCE LIVE MIGRATION

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

REBOOT INSTANCE

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

RESCUE INSTANCE

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

SET INSTANCE PASSWORD

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

?

SSH KEY, META‑DATA/USER‑DATA SUPPORT

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

?

CONFIG DRIVE SUPPORT

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

?

UEFI INSTANCE BOOT

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

ADD HOST IN MAINTENANCE MODE

Y

Y

Y

N

N

?

CONSOLE SUPPORT (NOVNC)

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

VM SNAPSHOT (DISK+MEMORY)

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

?

VOLUME SNAPSHOT

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

ATTACH/DETACH ISO

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

VM BACKUPS

N

N

Y

?

?

?

VM HA

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

SECURITY GROUPS

Y

Y

N

?

?

?

ISOLATED NETWORKS

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

L2 NETWORKS

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

VPC

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

SHARED NETWORKS

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

ISCSI

YES (SHARED MOUNTPOINT)

YES (VMFS)

YES (CLVM)

Y

Y

?

LOCAL DISK

Y

Y

Y

?

?

?

NFS

Y

Y

Y

Y

?

?

SMB/CIFS

N

N

N

?

?

?

CEPH/RBD

Y

N

N

?

?

?

*XENSERVER – No official reference on the OpenStack site.

?** – No official reference on the OpenStack site.

Usability

CloudStack provides a single UI for resource consumption and monitoring, making daily operations straightforward. OpenStack’s modular architecture, while flexible, often results in higher complexity and a steeper learning curve, as reflected in user surveys.

Choosing the Right CMP

Both platforms are leading open‑source CMPs. OpenStack offers modular flexibility but requires extensive customization and a larger support team. CloudStack delivers a more out‑of‑the‑box experience, reducing time‑to‑market and operational overhead.

When selecting a cloud management platform, evaluate technical fit, team expertise, and long‑term business considerations such as vendor lock‑in, scalability, and cost.