The Best Open-Source MinIO Alternative
In December 2025, MinIO entered maintenance mode and stopped active development. Alarik is the high-performance, truly open-source alternative you've been looking for. Apache 2.0 licensed, actively developed, and more than 2x faster for small objects.
What Happened?
MinIO Is No Longer Actively Developed
On December 3, 2025, MinIO officially entered maintenance mode. The project stopped accepting new pull requests, publishing Docker images, and developing new features. Only critical security fixes are considered on a case-by-case basis. If MinIO is part of your infrastructure, it's time to migrate.
May 2025
MinIO removed the web console from the open-source version, leaving only a basic object browser.
October 2025
MinIO stopped publishing Docker images to Docker Hub and Quay.io. Source-only distribution began.
December 2025
MinIO entered maintenance mode. No new features, no PRs accepted, no active development.
Why Alarik?
The Modern MinIO Alternative
Alarik exists because developers need an S3-compatible store that is fast, simple to operate, easy to extend, and genuinely open-source. No licensing traps, no moving goalposts.
MinIO Is No Longer Open Source
In December 2025, MinIO entered maintenance mode. No new features, no enhancements, and they stopped publishing Docker images. It's time to migrate.
Actively Developed
Unlike MinIO, Alarik is under active development with new features, performance improvements, and community contributions welcomed.
2x Faster for Small Objects
Benchmarks show Alarik delivers more than 2x the throughput of MinIO for 4KB objects. Built with Swift and SwiftNIO for maximum performance.
True Open Source Freedom
Apache 2.0 license means you can use, modify, and distribute Alarik without AGPL restrictions. No licensing traps, no moving goalposts.
Official Docker Images
MinIO stopped publishing Docker images in October 2025. Alarik provides official, up-to-date images on GitHub Container Registry.
Full-Featured Web Console
MinIO removed their console from the open-source version. Alarik includes a modern, built-in web console for managing buckets and objects.
Performance
Built for Speed
Recent benchmarks using MinIO's own warp tool show Alarik delivers more than 2x the throughput of MinIO for 4KB objects. Built with Swift and SwiftNIO for low-latency I/O and highly parallel request handling.
Low-Latency I/O
Optimized storage engine designed for minimal latency, especially important for small object workloads common in web applications.
Highly Parallel Request Handling
Built on Swift's modern async/await concurrency model and SwiftNIO for efficient handling of thousands of concurrent connections.
Memory Safe Architecture
Swift's memory safety guarantees mean no buffer overflows, no use-after-free bugs, and predictable performance under load.
No Garbage Collection Pauses
Unlike Go-based solutions, Swift uses automatic reference counting. No GC pauses means consistent, predictable latency.
Comparison
Alarik vs MinIO: Side by Side
See why teams are migrating from MinIO to Alarik.
| Feature | Alarik | MinIO |
|---|---|---|
| Project Status | Actively developed | Maintenance mode only |
| License | Apache 2.0 | AGPL v3 |
| Docker Images | Official images on GHCR | No longer published |
| Commercial Use | Free, no restrictions | Requires license for proprietary use |
| Small Object Performance | 2x+ faster (4KB objects) | Baseline |
| Web Console | Built-in modern UI | Removed from open-source |
| Community Contributions | Pull requests welcome | No longer accepting PRs |
| Language | Swift (memory safe) | Go |
Easy Migration
Migrate from MinIO in Minutes
Switching from MinIO to Alarik is as simple as changing your endpoint URL. Your existing S3 code, SDKs, and tools work without any modifications. AWS SDK, s3cmd, rclone - everything just works.
migration.sh
Use Cases
Perfect For Any S3 Workload
Whether you're building a new application or urgently migrating from MinIO, Alarik handles your object storage needs with an actively maintained codebase.
Self-Hosted Cloud Storage
Replace expensive cloud storage with your own S3-compatible infrastructure. Full control over your data, no vendor lock-in.
Application Backend Storage
Store user uploads, media files, and application data with a reliable, high-performance object store that won't be abandoned.
Backup & Archive
Cost-effective long-term storage for backups, logs, and archived data with S3-compatible tooling you already know.
Development & Testing
Local S3-compatible storage for development environments. Test your S3 integrations without cloud costs or network latency.
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late
With MinIO no longer actively developed, vulnerabilities will go unpatched and your infrastructure becomes a liability. Migrate to Alarik today - actively developed, truly open-source, and faster.