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You can run local S3-compatible storage without MinIO using either SeaweedFS or Garage in Docker. SeaweedFS offers a one-node weed mini start and a multi-service Compose layout; Garage provides a compact Docker setup but needs both its data and metadata directories mounted to keep data across container termination. The right choice depends on the S3 operations your application needs, not on a blanket promise of Amazon S3 compatibility.
Choose by required S3 features and deployment shape
| Decision point | SeaweedFS | Garage |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Project documents a one-node weed mini option, as well as a Compose layout with separate master, volume, filer, S3, and WebDAV services. SeaweedFS project documentation |
Project documents a Docker quick start configured through garage.toml. The example maps ports 3900–3903. Garage Quick Start |
| Persistence | Use a named or bind-mounted data volume; the project’s Docker example mounts a named volume at /data. SeaweedFS project documentation |
Mount both configured data and metadata directories. The documented sample command alone does not create persistent data volumes. Garage Quick Start |
| Documented S3 feature picture | The README lists versioning, lifecycle, object lock, IAM/STS, server-side encryption, and other APIs; these are project claims, not independent verification. SeaweedFS project documentation | Documentation lists no ACL or bucket-policy endpoints, versioning, replication endpoints, object-lock endpoints, or server-side encryption. Lifecycle support is partial. Garage S3 Compatibility status |
| Access control | README describes IAM and STS functionality. Confirm the exact behavior needed against the release you select. SeaweedFS project documentation | Uses its own per-key and per-bucket permission model rather than S3 ACLs or bucket policies. Garage S3 Compatibility status |
For a quick local experiment, either project’s documented start can be a useful entry point. For a Compose-managed service you intend to keep, decide how storage will persist, pin an image or release, and validate the application calls you rely on. Neither project’s compatibility statements establish identical behavior for every S3 client or edge case.
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Start SeaweedFS locally
One-node experiment
The SeaweedFS README documents a single-node option using weed mini -dir=./data, with access key, secret, and bucket environment variables configured for the example. Its S3 endpoint is http://localhost:8333. This is a compact way to begin; keep the data directory on storage you intend to retain if the contents matter.
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Compose deployment
SeaweedFS also documents a Compose arrangement that separates the master, volume server, filer, S3 service, and WebDAV service. The project README points to a Compose file and variants in its docker/compose directory. Use a release-pinned image and inspect the corresponding configuration rather than assuming the changing master branch is a stable production recipe.
#1 Best Overall
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The documented architecture assigns volume tracking to the master, blob storage to volume servers, and S3 and other interfaces to filer services. The project describes volume servers as a way to add capacity and filer/S3 gateways as separately scalable stateless services. Treat these as architectural descriptions, not guarantees of resilience, throughput, or recovery behavior for a particular deployment.
Start Garage with persistent storage
Garage’s quick start uses a garage.toml configuration for data and metadata directories, credentials, and S3 settings. Its Docker example uses the dxflrs/garage image, maps ports 3900–3903, and exposes S3 on http://localhost:3900. The image tag shown on that page is a version-specific example; check current releases and use documentation matching the image you choose.
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Do not rely on the example container command alone for data that must survive container termination. Create persistent mounts for both the configured data directory and metadata directory, and ensure the paths in garage.toml point to those mounted locations. Losing or mismatching either path can undermine a deployment’s persistence assumptions.
Connect with the AWS CLI
The quick start shows AWS CLI environment variables including AWS_ENDPOINT_URL=http://localhost:3900, a region, and credentials, then demonstrates listing buckets and transferring a file. Recent-enough AWS CLI versions support AWS_ENDPOINT_URL; older supported versions may require an explicit endpoint option on each invocation. Check the CLI version and its endpoint handling before treating a successful local command as proof that another SDK or application will behave the same way.
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Check the S3 operations your application actually uses
Garage: identify documented gaps
Garage’s compatibility page states that it does not implement S3 ACLs or bucket-policy endpoints; it instead provides its own permissions model based on keys and buckets. It also lists bucket versioning, replication API endpoints, object-lock endpoints, and server-side encryption as unsupported. Lifecycle support is limited: the documentation identifies incomplete-multipart-upload abortion and expiration actions as supported with constraints. If an application depends on a missing endpoint or a specific lifecycle behavior, do not assume Garage’s native permissions or partial lifecycle support substitute for it.
SeaweedFS: treat the feature list as a starting point
The SeaweedFS README describes object, bucket, S3 Tables, IAM, and STS API coverage, and lists capabilities including versioning, object lock, lifecycle, CORS, multipart uploads, presigned URLs, and SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, and SSE-C. The project also says compatibility tests run in CI. These statements indicate the project’s documented support, not proof of identical behavior for every AWS client call or corner case.
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Build a focused compatibility check
Before relying on either service, test with the exact client and release you plan to use. Include the operations that matter to your application rather than only checking whether a bucket can be listed.
- Exercise the required bucket and object calls, including multipart uploads and downloads if used.
- Check addressing style, endpoint configuration, region handling, credential behavior, and presigned URL access if relevant.
- Test the required policy, ACL, versioning, lifecycle, replication, object-lock, and encryption operations explicitly.
- Try the upload sizes and error/retry patterns your application will encounter.
- Record the image or release tag and repeat the checks when upgrading, because compatibility can change.
Plan for persistence and growth
Both options store data on local or mounted disk, so choose storage capacity and redundancy based on your workload and recovery needs. A NAS hard drive may suit a persistent local host, but capacity, interface, workload, and redundancy requirements determine the right hardware; one disk by itself is not a backup or a fault-tolerant system.
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SeaweedFS lets you start with one process and later consider its split-service layout. Garage also requires deliberate configuration and mounts for persistence; more elaborate clustered deployments need planning for topology, metadata storage, replication, monitoring, and recovery. The cited project quick starts do not establish comparative performance for local Compose configurations, so choose based on operational fit and tested features rather than an assumed speed ranking.
Quick Recap
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