No. 6 of 29 ·Distributed File System Software

OpenAFS

Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

OpenAFS is ranked #6 of 29 in distributed file system software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

OpenAFS plans and pricing

All plans

OpenAFS Free Open-source distributed filesystem wiki.openafs.org · 29 Sept 2026

Compared on distributed file system software

Free plan: Yes
Deployment model: self_hosted
Data replication: Yes
Multi-site support: Yes
File access protocols: AFS; NFS via translator; SMB/CIFS on Windows

Best OpenAFS alternatives

See all 12

Two bars MooseFS Free tier No. 1Free6.6 Two bars SeaweedFS Free tier No. 2$1.67/mo6.6 One bar Ceph Free tier No. 3Free6.5 Two bars Hadoop Distributed File System Free tier No. 4Free6.5 Two bars JuiceFS Free tier No. 5Free6.5 Two bars Quobyte Free tier No. 7Free6.5

The record

What it does: OpenAFS is an open-source implementation of the AFS distributed filesystem for accessing network files as if they were local.
Federated sharing: AFS supports federated file sharing and read-only content replication across file servers.
Location transparency: Users can keep using the same pathname when administrators move files between machines.
Caching: The client Cache Manager stores files in local disk or memory cache to reduce repeated network requests.
Authentication: OpenAFS supports Kerberos-based authentication and uses tokens to represent authenticated status.
Access controls: Directory access control lists specify which users or groups can access files and what permissions they have.
Security: AFS clients and servers mutually authenticate, and server processes encrypt particularly sensitive information sent to clients.
Security limitation: The administration guide says commands in the fs, pts, and vos suites do not encrypt data before transmitting it.
Platforms: The project home page lists UNIX, Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows among supported systems.
Current release: The home page lists OpenAFS 1.8.16.1 as a June 2026 maintenance release for UNIX/Linux, with support for Linux mainline kernels up to 7.1.
License: The project states that OpenAFS is distributed under the IBM Public License.
Support: The project wiki points users to mailing lists, an IRC channel, and a page listing individuals and companies offering support or consulting.
Intended users: The documentation describes AFS cells as suitable for organizations such as companies, university departments, or other defined groups of users.
Storage limits: Each AFS volume has a size limit or quota assigned by the system administrator.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Distributed File System Software in 2026#6 of 29

Is OpenAFS yours?

Claim it for free: prove the domain, then correct facts, plans and screenshots. An editor reviews every change.

Claim it free Promote OpenAFS

Sources

openafs.org/pages/· checked 29 Sept 2026
docs.openafs.org/UserGuide/HDRWQ2.html· checked 29 Sept 2026
docs.openafs.org/AdminGuide/HDRWQ5.html· checked 29 Sept 2026
wiki.openafs.org· checked 29 Sept 2026
docs.openafs.org/AdminGuide/HDRWQ71.html· checked 29 Sept 2026
openafs.org· checked 28 Sept 2026