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DAOS

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What DAOS is

DAOS is an open-source, software-defined storage system for AI and high-performance computing workloads. Its core interface is a scalable key-value-array store exposed through libdaos, with POSIX namespaces, HDF5 datasets, and Python among the data models built on it. Storage pools can span some or all storage engines, and containers represent datasets that can be snapshotted. Fine-grained access controls are available for pools and containers. Objects can use erasure coding, replication, or no data protection; DAOS can trigger rebuilds when an engine becomes unresponsive. It distributes filesystem data and metadata across storage engines and can use RDMA through libfabric or UCX when available. Its client ecosystem includes libdfs for POSIX namespaces, and the documentation covers interfaces for MPI-IO, HDF5, Python, PyTorch, Spark and Hadoop, and TensorFlow-IO. DAOS can run on premises or in cloud environments. Version 2.8 supports Linux on x86_64 and lists SLES 15 SP6/SP7, openSUSE Leap 15.6, and EL 9.6/9.7. It is free under the BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License.

Who it suits

DAOS suits organizations building storage for AI or HPC workloads, particularly those using Linux and data interfaces such as POSIX, HDF5, or MPI-IO. It can be deployed on premises or in cloud environments.

What it does well

  • Free and open source under a BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License.
  • Supports snapshots for dataset containers.
  • Offers erasure coding and replication options.
  • Fine-grained access controls apply to pools and containers.
  • Can trigger rebuilds when an engine becomes unresponsive.

What to know first

  • Version 2.8 is built for Linux on x86_64.
  • Ubuntu and Fedora are not supported by DAOS 2.8.
  • CentOS Stream and RHEL 8 and its clones are not supported.

Limits

DAOS 2.8 is built for Linux on x86_64 and lists SLES 15 SP6/SP7, openSUSE Leap 15.6, and EL 9.6/9.7 distributions. It does not support Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS Stream, or RHEL 8 and its clones.

Getting started

  1. Visit the DAOS website and review the version 2.8 documentation.
  2. Confirm your server and client systems use a supported Linux distribution on x86_64.
  3. Choose an on-premises or cloud deployment.
  4. Select the storage models and client interfaces your workloads need.
  5. Configure pools, containers, access controls, and object protection.

Verdict

DAOS provides a range of storage data models and protection options for AI and HPC environments. Check its version 2.8 Linux distribution limits before planning a deployment.

Questions

Is DAOS free?

Yes. DAOS is free and open source under the BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License.

What platforms does DAOS support?

Version 2.8 targets Linux on x86_64. Listed distributions include SLES 15 SP6/SP7, openSUSE Leap 15.6, and EL 9.6/9.7.

What storage interfaces and data models does it support?

Its core interface is a key-value-array store exposed through libdaos. Listed models and interfaces include POSIX, HDF5, MPI-IO, and S3 API.

Can DAOS protect and snapshot data?

Objects can use erasure coding or replication, and containers can be snapshotted. DAOS can initiate rebuilds when an engine becomes unresponsive.

Which workload frameworks are covered?

Version 2.8 documentation covers MPI-IO, HDF5, Python, PyTorch, Spark and Hadoop, and TensorFlow-IO.

Can DAOS run in the cloud?

Yes. DAOS can be deployed on premises or in cloud environments.

Facts from DAOS's own pages

Access control
Fine-grained ACLs can be set on storage pools and individual containers. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Audience
The site presents DAOS as an open-source storage platform for AI and HPC workloads. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Data model
Its core interface is a scalable key-value-array store, with data models including POSIX namespaces and HDF5 datasets built over it. · daos.io, 2 Oct 2026
Data models
The overview lists POSIX namespaces, HDF5 datasets, and Python among data models built over libdaos. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Data protection
Objects can use erasure coding, replication, or no data protection; DAOS can trigger self-healing rebuilds when an engine becomes unresponsive. · daos.io, 2 Oct 2026
Datasets and snapshots
DAOS containers represent datasets, can be snapshotted, and support fine-grained access control. · daos.io, 2 Oct 2026
Deployments
DAOS can be deployed on premises or in cloud environments. · docs.daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Framework support
The DAOS v2.8 documentation lists support topics for MPI-IO, HDF5, Python, PyTorch, Spark and Hadoop, and TensorFlow-IO. · docs.daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Integrations
The DAOS client ecosystem includes libdfs for POSIX namespaces, and its user guide documents a PyTorch interface for loading data from DAOS. · docs.daos.io, 2 Oct 2026
License
The project repository displays the BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License. · github.com, 3 Oct 2026
Network support
DAOS can use libfabric or UCX and lists Ethernet, RoCE, InfiniBand, Omni-Path, and Slingshot fabrics. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Notable limits
DAOS 2.8 does not support Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS Stream, or RHEL 8 and its clones. · docs.daos.io, 2 Oct 2026
Performance
The site describes distributed metadata, ultra-high bandwidth and IOPS, and time-to-first-byte below 20μs when using RDMA where available. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Protection and recovery
Objects can use erasure coding or replication, and DAOS can trigger self-healing rebuilds when an engine becomes unresponsive. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Purpose
DAOS is an open-source, software-defined storage system for AI and HPC workloads. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Release
The DAOS documentation identifies its current documentation set as version 2.8. · docs.daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Security
DAOS supports access control lists on pools and individual containers. · daos.io, 2 Oct 2026
Snapshots and scale
DAOS containers are user-managed datasets that can be snapshotted; the site says a POSIX container can hold trillions of files or directories and petabytes of data. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Storage interface
Its baseline interface is a high-performance, scalable key-value-array store exposed through libdaos. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Storage pools
Pools can span all or some storage engines, and pool access can be controlled with fine-grained ACLs. · daos.io, 2 Oct 2026
Support
The DAOS site lists member support by email at [email protected] and links to a Linux Foundation support page. · daos.io, 3 Oct 2026
Supported platform
DAOS 2.8 is built for Linux on x86_64; its supported server and client distributions include SLES 15 SP6/SP7, openSUSE Leap 15.6, and EL 9.6/9.7. · docs.daos.io, 2 Oct 2026

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