What are the open source alternatives to VMware?
Broadcom's acquisition of VMware has raised strong concerns among companies that rely on VMware's virtualization technologies. The changes introduced after the acquisition, such as the shift to subscription models and price hikes, have pushed many companies, especially SMBs, to explore alternative solutions for their on-premise virtualization needs.
Key Challenges Since the Acquisition
Broadcom's acquisition of VMware has led to several business changes impacting companies' operational costs:
- A shift from perpetual licenses to a subscription-based model.
- The discontinuation of the free version of VMware's vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi).
- Significant price increases, with some customers seeing njihov renewal fees multiply by 5 to 10.
These changes are prompting many organizations to reassess their dependence on VMware and consider more cost-effective and flexible solutions.
The Rise of Open Source Virtualization Alternatives
While VMware has long been the go-to choice for on-premise datacenter virtualization, several open source alternatives have existed for many years, offering robust features at a lower cost and with greater strategic control for users. These alternatives not only reduce the risks of vendor lock-in but also align with the growing trend toward open source technologies, which emphasize flexibility, control, and community-driven development.
1. Proxmox VE
Proxmox Virtual Environment has established itself as a leading alternative. This platform, built on Debian Linux, combines virtual machine (KVM) and container-based (LXC) virtualization.
- Strengths: An all-in-one solution with a clear web interface, integrated clustering and backup features, LXC container support, and a transparent business model.
- Weaknesses: Advanced automation and complex network management require Linux expertise. Its scalability may reach its limits in very large deployments.
- When to use it: Ideal for SMBs, mid-market companies, and organizations looking for a quick and controlled migration from vSphere.
Our team's perspective: Proxmox replaces vSphere with formidable efficiency. It is an ideal and robust foundation on which a platform like ours can be deployed to orchestrate the application lifecycle. Its challenge, however, remains large-scale management and advanced automation, which require complementary tools.
2. XCP-ng
Born from the community and driven by the French company Vates, XCP-ng is a virtualization solution based on the Xen hypervisor.
- Strengths: Maturity and performance inherited from Xen, a strong European player that enhances digital sovereignty, and a powerful ecosystem with the Xen Orchestra management console. The offering is strengthened by solutions like Xostor for storage, in partnership with Linbit.
- Weaknesses: The learning curve can be steeper for teams unfamiliar with the Xen ecosystem.
- When to use it: For demanding production environments that prioritize performance and technological sovereignty, or for migrations from XenServer.
Our team's perspective: XCP-ng embodies a solid path toward digital sovereignty. It provides a reliable infrastructure layer but, like Proxmox, leaves it up to the company to build the application automation and deployment layer on top.
3. OpenStack
For organizations aiming to build a large-scale private cloud, OpenStack is the benchmark.
- Strengths: Nearly unlimited scalability, total flexibility thanks to its modular architecture, and native integration with technologies like CEPH for distributed storage.
- Weaknesses: Very high deployment and maintenance complexity, requiring dedicated teams of experts.
- When to use it: Exclusively for very large enterprises or cloud service providers building a fully customizable, large-scale IaaS infrastructure.
Our team's perspective: OpenStack's power is undeniable, but it is overkill for the majority of companies. It's a juggernaut that, if poorly managed, can quickly become an operational burden. Our philosophy is the opposite: to provide the power of the cloud through a simple platform, without forcing our clients to become cloud operators.
4. Xen Project
The Xen Project hypervisor is the engine that powers some of the world's largest infrastructures, including a large part of Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- Strengths: Maturity and reliability proven at a massive scale, robust security features, and optimized performance.
- Weaknesses: Xen is a hypervisor, not a turnkey solution. It lacks integrated management tools, requiring a significant investment in monitoring and orchestration tools.
- When to use it: When the absolute priority is the performance and security of the core virtualization layer, and the organization has the resources to build its own management platform on top.
Our team's perspective: Xen is a Formula 1 engine. In isolation, its performance is remarkable, but it doesn't make a car. Using Xen alone is like building your own vehicle from scratch. It's the role of a platform to assemble this engine with a chassis and a dashboard to make it a usable product.
5. oVirt
oVirt is an open source virtualization platform designed to provide a complete infrastructure for managing virtual machines, built on the KVM hypervisor.
- Strengths: Offers a powerful centralized management interface for clusters, storage, and virtual machines, with enterprise-level features similar to VMware vCenter.
- Weaknesses: The project has been affected by strategy shifts from Red Hat, its historical sponsor, raising questions about its future and long-term support.
- When to use it: For organizations already familiar with the KVM/Red Hat ecosystem looking for a functional replacement for vCenter, while accepting the risk associated with the project's dynamics.
Our team's perspective: oVirt was a credible alternative to vCenter for a long time, but the uncertainty surrounding its future makes it a risky bet. The longevity of foundations is a prerequisite for building sustainable services. We favor solutions whose community dynamics and industry support are clear and active.
6. OpenNebula
OpenNebula positions itself as a lighter and more flexible cloud management solution, capable of orchestrating multiple types of hypervisors.
- Strengths: An excellent balance of simplicity and power, and the ability to manage heterogeneous infrastructures (KVM, Xen, and even VMware ESXi nodes), as well as Kubernetes clusters via OneKE. It is known for its value, as evidenced by users like The Qt Company and the Flemish Department of the Environment.
- Weaknesses: A smaller community than OpenStack's, which may limit access to skills and user feedback.
- When to use it: For companies looking to build a private or hybrid cloud without exposing themselves to the complexity of OpenStack.
Our team's perspective: OpenNebula offers effective IaaS management, a good compromise between simplicity and power. It answers the question "how do I manage my infrastructure?". The strategic question that remains is "how do I manage my applications on this infrastructure?". This is precisely the role of a PaaS layer.
Beyond the Hypervisor: The "Platform" Vision with Abilian Nua
Replacing the hypervisor is the first step. The value that will transform your operations lies in the layer above: the one that automates the deployment, management, and maintenance of your applications. We created Abilian Nua, our open source and self-hosted PaaS (Platform as a Service) platform, to meet this need.
Abilian Nua is the strategic complement to virtualization solutions. It installs on top of your infrastructure to offer you:
- Application lifecycle automation;
- A unified developer experience;
- End-to-end digital sovereignty.
Automation: A Factory to Build or a Turnkey Factory?
All modern infrastructure relies on automation. Tools like Ansible, Terraform, Puppet, Chef, or Pyinfra have become standards. If your organization already uses automation in its VMware environment, switching to an open source alternative can be as simple as rewriting infrastructure code and workflows.
The alternative is to choose a platform that integrates these best practices. With Abilian Nua, we deliver this software factory to you ready-to-use, allowing you to benefit from the power of automation without the complexity of assembling it.
Two Paths for the Future
Faced with the current situation, two paths are open to you.
- The tactical path: Replace vSphere with an alternative. You solve the short-term licensing problem.
- The strategic path: Take advantage of this disruption to adopt a "platform" approach. You build on an open source virtualization base and add a PaaS layer like Abilian Nua to modernize the management of your entire application portfolio.
This crisis is the catalyst that will allow you to build a more agile, cost-effective, and, above all, fully controlled IT infrastructure.
Summary and Practical Recommendations
For organizations affected by the changes following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, exploring open source virtualization solutions offers a way to regain control of their infrastructure while reducing costs. Solutions like OpenStack, Proxmox VE, Xen Project, and oVirt are viable alternatives, each with its own strengths and challenges. The key to success lies in matching the open source platform with the organization's technical capabilities and business needs.