http://www.cyberciti.biz/cloud-computing/7-awesome-open-source-cloud-storage-software-for-your-privacy-and-security
Cloud storage is nothing but an
enterprise-level cloud data storage model to store the digital data in
logical pools, across the multiple servers. You can use a hosting
company such as Amazon, Google, Rackspace, Dropbox and others for
keeping your data available and accessible 24x7. You can access data
stored on cloud storage via API or desktop/mobile apps or web based
systems.
In this post, I'm going to list amazingly awesome open
source cloud storage engines that you can use to access and sync your
data privately for security and privacy reasons.
Why use open source cloud storage software?
The cloud - Source http://www.xkcd.net/908/
- Create a cloud on your own server or in a data center.
- Control and own your own data.
- Privacy protection.
- Encryption.
- Verify source code for bugs and/or backdoors.
- Avoid spying on your files on the server using encryption.
- Legal compliance - HIPAA and others.
- Good performance as your data stored in local storage instead of remote data center.
- Good
reliability and availability due to local LAN. You are no longer
depends upon WAN bandwidth or the service provider for network.
- No artificially imposed limits on storage space or client connections and more
- Share
your files and data with or without password or time limit. Share it
publicly, or privately. No 3rd party corporation own your data.
Suggested sample cloud storage setup for home users
+----------------+
Internet/ISP----|Router/Wireless |
+----+-----------+
|
+----+---+
|Home Lan|
+--------+ +-------------------+
| | Raspberry Pi |
+-------+ Or Intel |
| Atom based server |
| + |
| Cloud storage |
+-------------------+
You can use the Raspberry Pi or an Intel Atom CPU based small
server as a home cloud storage system. Use an external USB drive or
secure backup service such as rsync.net/tarsnap.com to backup your cloud
server in an encrypted format. This setup ensures that you keep all
your data and not to trust the entirety of your personal data to a
corporation.
Seafile: Easy to setup cloud storage for home users
Seafile
is a file hosting cloud storage software to store files. You can
synchronized files and data with PC and mobile devices easily or use the
server's web interface for managing your data files. There is no limits
on data storage space (except for hard disk capacity) or the number of
connected clients to your private server (except for CPU/RAM capacity).
 |
| Operating system: Cross-platform (written in C and Python) - MS-Windows/Raspberry Pi/Linux private server |
| Desktop clients: Yes (Windows/Mac OS X/Linux) |
| Mobile clients: Yes (Android/iPad/iPhone) |
| Type: File cloud storage and data synchronization |
| Paid support: Yes via Professional Edition |
| Licence: GPLv3 (Community Edition) |
| Download: seafile.com |
ownCloud: Dropbox replacement
ownCloud
is another very popular file hosting cloud storage software and often
described as Dropbox replacement. Just like Dropbox you can synchronizes
your files to your private server. Files placed in ownCloud server are
accessible via the mobile and desktop apps. You can add external storage
to your ownCloud with Dropbox, SWIFT, FTPs, Google Docs, S3, external
WebDAV servers and more.
Enable the encryption app to encrypt data on
external storage for improved security and privacy.
 |
| Operating system: Cross-platform (written in PHP & JavaScript) - MS-Windows/Linux private server |
| Desktop clients: Yes (Windows/Mac OS X/Linux) |
| Mobile clients: Yes (Android/Apple iOS) |
| Type: File cloud storage and data synchronization |
| Paid support: Yes via Enterprise Edition |
| Licence: AGPLv3 |
| Download: owncloud.org |
git-annex assistant
The
git-annex assistant creates a synchronised folder on each of your OSX
and Linux computers, Android devices, removable drives, NAS appliances,
and cloud services. You can manage, share, and sync your large files
with the power of git and the ease of use of a simple folder you drop
files into.
Please note that the software is still under heavy
development and new features are added regularly.
 |
| Operating system: Cross-platform - MS-Windows(beta)/Linux/OS X/FreeBSD/Docker private server |
| Desktop clients: No (porting) |
| Mobile clients: Yes (Android) |
| Type: File cloud storage and data synchronization |
| Paid support: ??? |
| Licence: GPL version 3 |
| Download: git-annex.branchable.com |
SparkleShare: Easy to use cloud storage with git as a storage backend
It is also a Dropbox clone and very easy to setup. From the project site:
SparkleShare
creates a special folder on your computer. You can add remotely hosted
folders (or "projects") to this folder. These projects will be
automatically kept in sync with both the host and all of your peers when
someone adds, removes or edits a file.
 |
| Operating system: Cross-platform (written in C#) - MS-Windows/Linux/OS X |
| Desktop clients: Yes ( MS-Windows/Linux/OS X) |
| Mobile clients: No (Android/iOS on hold) |
| Type: File and data synchronization |
| Paid support: ??? |
| Licence: GPL version 3 |
| Download: sparkleshare.org |
Syncthing for private, encrypted & authenticated distribution of data
Syncthing
is an open-source file synchronization client/server application,
written in Go. It replaces proprietary sync and cloud services with
something open, trustworthy and decentralized.
 |
| Operating system: Cross-platform (written in Go) - Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Android, BSD, Solaris |
| Desktop clients: Yes (MS-Windows/Linux/OS X/OpeBSD and Unix-like) |
| Mobile clients: Yes (Android/F-Driod) |
| Type: File and data synchronization |
| Paid support: ??? |
| Licence: GPL version 3 |
| Download: syncthing.net |
Stacksync cloud storage
StackSync
is an open-source scalable Personal Cloud that can adapt to the
necessities of organizations. It puts a special emphasis on security by
encrypting data on the client side before it is sent to the server.
 |
| Operating system: Linux |
| Desktop clients: Yes (MS-Windows/Linux/) |
| Mobile clients: Yes (Android) |
| Type: File and data synchronization |
| Paid support: ??? |
| Licence: GPL version 2 |
| Download: stacksync.org |
OpenStack Object Storage (Swift)
Swift
is a scalable redundant storage system. Objects and files are written
to multiple disk drives spread throughout servers in the data center,
with the OpenStack software responsible for ensuring data replication
and integrity across the cluster. Please note that Swift is meant for a
large or enterprise users only and not recommended for home users due to
complex setup procedures.
| Operating system: Cross-platform (written in Python) |
| Desktop clients: ??? |
| Mobile clients: ??? |
| Type: File, data synchronization and more |
| Paid support: ??? |
| Licence: Apache License 2.0 |
| Download: openstack.org |
Conclusion
Personally,
I'm using Owncloud as FOSS based cloud solution for my file sharing
with friends and family. It offers me Calendar, Contacts, and Dropbox
like storage. My cloud server has total 5 disks, 2 Gib RAM, and an Intel
atom cpu. I use a Debian Linux with RAID 6. I backup my cloud to an
external USB drive and currently, testing tarsanp backup service. I'm
also planning to try out SparkleShare on the Raspberry Pi soon.
Are you using any other personal FOSS cloud basesd software? Add your suggestions the comments below.
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