What is our primary use case?
Compared to other cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, and Azure, CloudStack is an open-source cloud computing platform similar to OpenStack. The platform is primarily developed in Java, with its master and client services being open-source as well. This sets it apart from its competitors in the cloud computing market.
What is most valuable?
When compared to OpenStack, CloudStack is also an open-source platform that is continuously improving its features and capabilities with each new version release. Having worked with CloudStack 4.7, 4.14, and most recently, 4.17, I have noticed significant enhancements in the platform's features and customer experience, such as the introduction of a new user interface in the latest release. Notably, the latest versions have made major improvements to VM live migrations, making them more efficient and effective.
What needs improvement?
The number of contributors to this solution is relatively small compared to other solutions. However, if more frequent users of CloudStack contribute to the open-source community, it will significantly enhance the overall community experience and make it more useful for everyone involved.
There is room for improvement when it comes to maintenance options in CloudStack, particularly with regard to rolling maintenance for multiple Hypervisors. CloudStack does offer this option, but it has not always worked as expected. However, I believe that this largely depends on our expectations for the solution and how we want it to work. As an example, CloudStack maintains a list of Hypervisors where we can host our virtual machines, and we may need to update these Hypervisors on a regular basis, such as every month or every two weeks. Instead of having to perform manual updates, it would be helpful if there were options to automatically perform live migration and update the Hypervisors properly. While there are improvements being made in this area, I believe that there is still some work to be done. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these maintenance options depends on our specific requirements and how we expect the solution to function.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CloudStack for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
While working with CloudStack, we have encountered several bugs, which we are addressing through collaboration and finding workarounds. However, we have observed that each new release is an improvement over the previous versions, even though it may not be considered entirely stable. Since new releases are made every six months, new bugs are likely to be discovered. While the platform is continuously improving, it may still be prone to instability due to ongoing development and changes.
I rate the stability of CloudStack a six out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
My team is using the solution in my company and our clients.
How are customer service and support?
CloudStack is an open-source community that follows specific procedures for raising and addressing issues. However, there is no dedicated support team available since it is an open-source platform. If you encounter any issues or bugs, you can raise them by submitting a PR with detailed instructions on how to replicate the problem. The community members will then review and address the issue, as this is the standard process for addressing problems within an open-source community.
How was the initial setup?
The setup of CloudStack is difficult. The time required for deploying CloudStack depends on the scale of the environment. For small-scale deployments, it may take a day at most to deploy the applications, assuming prior experience in deploying such applications. If you are an experienced person, you may be able to do it even faster. If the environment is well-prepared, with physical servers, networking setup, and other necessary equipment already in place, the deployment time for CloudStack services can be reduced to half a day. Mr. Arun suggests that the deployment time can vary depending on the level of expertise and the readiness of the environment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is open-source and free.
What other advice do I have?
If you are considering implementing CloudStack, there are a few questions that you should ask yourself. What are your requirements? Is it for your internal use or are you planning to offer services to end customers? The answers to these questions will depend on the size of your implementation. If you are planning to use CloudStack for your own internal environment with a small number of users, but want to manage those users within the CloudStack environment, then it could be a good fit. However, if you are planning for a larger-scale implementation with the potential to scale to a significant number of users over time, then it would be wise to consider other options as well.
I rate CloudStack a seen out of ten.
The primary advantage of using CloudStack is its open-source nature. Once you have a solid understanding of the underlying technologies and how the platform operates, it is relatively straightforward to deploy and maintain your own infrastructure, whether it is for your internal team or company. In most cases, you can handle maintenance on your own, unless you require significant changes to the solutions' functionality, which may necessitate dependence on the community or the involvement of Java developers to maintain your infrastructure.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
