File Storage · head to head
Ceph vs Weka
Ceph
File Storage
Open source distributed storage providing object, block and file from one cluster
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Ceph ceph assumes an operator who understands placement groups, CRUSH rules and recovery tuning, so organisations without dedicated storage staff routinely end up with a cluster that works until the first failure and then does not.; Weka the package management system needs an internet connection to download and install packages, so an air-gapped install gets only the core distribution
- They diverge on capability: Ceph covers RADOS object store, Weka covers Classification.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Ceph and Weka actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Ceph
- RADOS object store
- RADOS Gateway
- RBD block devices
- CephFS
- CRUSH placement
- Erasure coded pools
Only in Weka
- Classification
- Regression
- Clustering
- Association rules
- Feature selection
- Java
- R
- Python
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Ceph
- Backing a private cloud where virtual machine disks, shared filesystems and an S3 endpoint all need the same hardwarenot Weka
- Growing past the point where a proprietary array upgrade costs more than a rack of commodity serversnot Weka
- Research and media environments with petabytes of data and staff who can operate storagenot Weka
- Providing an S3 endpoint on premises with multi site replication under your own controlnot Weka
Weka
- Teaching and exploring classic machine learning algorithms through a GUInot Ceph
- Running data mining experiments and preprocessing without writing codenot Ceph
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Ceph
- Ceph assumes an operator who understands placement groups, CRUSH rules and recovery tuning, so organisations without dedicated storage staff routinely end up with a cluster that works until the first failure and then does not.
- Small clusters are inefficient: three way replication means a third of raw capacity is usable, and erasure coding needs enough failure domains to be safe, so the economics only work above a certain size.
- Recovery and rebalancing generate heavy internal traffic, so a failed disk can degrade client latency across the cluster unless backfill is throttled correctly beforehand.
- Upgrades must follow a strict daemon order across monitors, managers, OSDs and gateways, and a mistake in that order on a live cluster is difficult to reverse.
- Because it is self hosted, every byte served to the internet is transit you pay for on your own links, so the free licence does not mean free egress and bandwidth planning becomes your problem rather than the providers.
Weka
- The package management system needs an internet connection to download and install packages, so an air-gapped install gets only the core distribution
- Weka is split into a stable 3.8 branch that receives only bug fixes and compatibility-safe upgrades and a 3.9 development branch that may receive features that break compatibility
- Weka requires a 64-bit Java VM; the bundled installers ship Bellsoft OpenJDK 25 per platform and architecture
Pricing, plan by plan
Ceph
Free- CephFree
- Full functionality, no capacity limit
- Object, block and file interfaces
- Community support via mailing list and Slack
Weka
Free- Open SourceFree
- All ML algorithms
- GUI and CLI
- Java API
Which should you pick?
Choose Ceph if
- You need rados object store.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux.
- You also want rados gateway.
Choose Weka if
- You need classification.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Mac, Windows.
- You also want regression.
Questions people ask
- Is Ceph or Weka better?
- Neither clearly leads. Ceph starts at Free and Weka at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Ceph or Weka?
- Ceph starts at Free and Weka at Free.
- Does Ceph or Weka run on more platforms?
- Ceph runs on Linux. Weka runs on Linux, Mac, Windows.
- Can I use Ceph for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Ceph best used for?
- Ceph is most often used for backing a private cloud where virtual machine disks, shared filesystems and an s3 endpoint all need the same hardware, growing past the point where a proprietary array upgrade costs more than a rack of commodity servers, research and media environments with petabytes of data and staff who can operate storage, providing an s3 endpoint on premises with multi site replication under your own control. Of those, backing a private cloud where virtual machine disks, shared filesystems and an s3 endpoint all need the same hardware and growing past the point where a proprietary array upgrade costs more than a rack of commodity servers are not what Weka is typically brought in for.
- What can Ceph do that Weka cannot?
- Ceph covers RADOS object store, RADOS Gateway, RBD block devices, CephFS. Weka covers Classification, Regression, Clustering, Association rules.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Ceph: How many nodes do I need to start?
Three is the practical minimum for a replicated cluster with real fault tolerance, and most production advice starts at five once you account for maintenance windows.
Weka: What is the cost of Weka software?
Weka is provided at no cost as open-source software released under the GNU General Public License, making it freely available for download and use.
SourceCeph: Is it faster than a SAN?
Not on single stream latency. It wins on aggregate throughput and on growing without a forklift upgrade, which is a different property from raw speed.
Weka: Are there commercial licensing options available?
Yes, the project offers information about commercial licenses for organizations requiring non-GPL terms, which can be found in their commercial applications documentation.
SourceCeph: Can I buy support?
Yes. IBM sells IBM Storage Ceph and SUSE and others have offered supported builds; the upstream project itself is free.
Weka: What support resources are available to users?
Multiple support avenues exist including comprehensive documentation, frequently asked questions, dedicated help resources, and access to courses for learning the platform.
SourceCeph: Should I use it just for S3?
If object is all you need, a dedicated object store is simpler to run. Ceph earns its complexity when you need block and file as well.
Weka: Is source code access provided?
Yes, developers have full access to source code through the Git repository, along with development documentation and code credits for contributors.
SourceRelated pages
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