Alternatives / Cloudflare R2
Looking for an open source Cloudflare R2 alternative? We compared 5 open source object storage systems by license, S3 compatibility, scaling, maintenance, and self-hosting. They range from single-node S3 servers to distributed clusters and an embedded storage engine, and the best known one, MinIO, is now archived.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| MinIO | S3-compatible server (repository archived, unmaintained) | AGPL-3.0 (archived) |
| Ceph | Unified object, block, and file storage at scale | LGPL-2.1 or LGPL-3.0 (dual) |
| SlateDB | Embedded storage engine on object storage | Apache-2.0 |
| Storj | Decentralized storage network | AGPL-3.0 |
| Alarik | Lightweight S3-compatible server (beta) | Apache-2.0 |
We looked for open-source tools that overlap with Cloudflare R2's core: storing objects behind an S3-compatible API. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and deployment in its repository. R2 is a hosted service with no egress fees, so we separate S3 servers you run yourself from distributed networks and storage engines, and we flag archived and beta projects. See our methodology for the full criteria.
MinIO's public repository is archived and marked as no longer maintained, with its last release in October 2025 and its last commit in April 2026. MinIO Inc. now points users to AIStor, a commercial product with a free edition. The code remains AGPL-3.0, but you should not start a new deployment on an unmaintained server without a plan for security fixes.
MinIO, Alarik, and Ceph can serve an S3-compatible API like R2. Ceph is the most proven at large scale and also offers block and file storage, but it is complex to operate. Alarik is a much lighter option for single nodes and small clusters, though it is a young project and still in beta.
SlateDB is not an S3 server: it is an embedded storage engine that uses object storage as its backing store, with a single-writer model. Storj is a decentralized network that stores encrypted pieces of files across independent nodes, offered as a paid cloud service, and its open-source code is AGPL-3.0.
MinIO and Storj are AGPL-3.0, and Ceph is dual-licensed under LGPL-2.1 or LGPL-3.0. SlateDB and Alarik are Apache-2.0.
R2's main advantage is zero egress fees. When you self-host, you pay for hardware, power, and bandwidth instead, so compare total costs. For public downloads at scale, you may still want a CDN in front of your storage.
Ceph, SlateDB, Storj, and Alarik were updated within weeks of this update. MinIO is archived. Alarik is in beta and runs on Linux only, so test it carefully before using it for important data.
Cloudflare R2 is a proprietary hosted service. It has no egress fees, but storage and operations are billed, and your data depends on Cloudflare's platform. Open-source alternatives let you run object storage on your own hardware or any cloud, control where data lives, and avoid per-operation pricing, at the cost of running, scaling, and securing the storage yourself, and paying for your own bandwidth.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MinIO | S3 server | AGPL-3.0 (archived) | Yes | Existing deployments |
| Ceph | Distributed storage | LGPL-2.1 or LGPL-3.0 | Yes | Large clusters |
| SlateDB | Embedded engine | Apache-2.0 | Embedded | Databases on object storage |
| Storj | Decentralized network | AGPL-3.0 | Yes or hosted | Distributed storage |
| Alarik | S3 server | Apache-2.0 | Yes | Light S3-compatible storage |
Need object, block, and file storage at scale
Ceph provides unified storage from one cluster on commodity hardware, but it is complex to run.
Want a lightweight S3-compatible server
Alarik is Apache-2.0 and scales from one node to sharded clusters, but it is beta software and Linux only.
Want decentralized, encrypted storage
Storj spreads encrypted file pieces across independent nodes, as a paid service or with its AGPL-3.0 code.
Building a database on object storage
SlateDB is an Apache-2.0 embedded engine with a single writer and multiple readers, not an S3 server.
Already run MinIO
MinIO's repository is archived, so plan a migration or move to the commercial AIStor edition.