OpenShift ODF Alternative
Lower Cost, Higher Performance, and Simpler Day-2 Operations — Without Ceph
OpenShift Data Foundation (ODF) puts Ceph inside your Red Hat® OpenShift® cluster. Teams pay ODF licensing on top of OpenShift subscriptions, inherit Ceph's operational complexity, and hit the performance ceiling of a storage architecture designed for spinning disks. Simplyblock replaces ODF with a Kubernetes-native NVMe block storage platform that installs via Helm or OperatorHub in minutes, costs significantly less, and delivers the performance that modern stateful workloads actually need — without a single Ceph OSD, monitor, or metadata server.
Why OpenShift Teams Move Away from ODF
ODF Licensing on Top of OpenShift Subscriptions
OpenShift Data Foundation is a paid add-on on top of the OpenShift platform subscription. As clusters scale, storage licensing costs scale independently of whether ODF's underlying Ceph performance is actually meeting workload needs.
Ceph Complexity Inside OpenShift
ODF wraps Ceph, which means teams inherit monitors, OSDs, metadata servers, and their associated upgrade and tuning requirements — all running inside an OpenShift cluster that already has its own operational demands.
Performance Ceiling on Modern NVMe Hardware
Ceph's architecture bottlenecks at 4,000–8,000 IOPS per CPU core. OpenShift teams running PostgreSQL, MySQL, or other storage-intensive workloads on NVMe hardware are leaving most of their hardware's throughput potential unused.
Version Lock-Step with OpenShift Releases
ODF releases are tightly coupled to OpenShift version support matrices. Every OpenShift upgrade must be coordinated with an ODF upgrade on the same schedule, increasing the blast radius and planning overhead of every platform update.
A Modern NVMe Storage Layer for Red Hat® OpenShift®
Kubernetes-native block storage that installs cleanly into OpenShift, delivers NVMe performance without Ceph underneath, and reduces the total cost of storage on every cluster.
NVMe-Native CSI — No Ceph Required
Simplyblock is a purpose-built NVMe block storage platform with a Kubernetes-native CSI driver. It delivers sub-millisecond block storage to OpenShift persistent volumes without Ceph's monitors, OSDs, or metadata servers — fewer moving parts, faster storage, and a standard CSI interface that works with existing OpenShift operators and tooling. Compatible with hyperconverged and disaggregated cluster topologies.
Install via Helm or OperatorHub in Minutes
Simplyblock installs in a standard OpenShift cluster via Helm or OperatorHub. There is no custom kernel module, no specialized networking requirement, and no need to pre-provision dedicated storage nodes before the first volume is available. For the broader OpenShift storage architecture, see OpenShift Storage. For hyperconverged deployments, see OpenShift HCI Storage.
Block Storage for OpenShift Virtualization (KubeVirt)
Simplyblock provides low-latency block storage for both containers and virtual machines in OpenShift Virtualization deployments. VM disks and container persistent volumes share the same storage platform and the same operational model — no separate storage silos. Compatible with OpenShift Virtualization live migration. See the KubeVirt storage page for details.
Outcomes of Replacing ODF With simplyblock
Lower cost, higher performance, and an operational model that fits how OpenShift teams actually work.
Lower Total Storage Cost
Remove the ODF add-on subscription and reduce hardware overhead from triple replication to efficient erasure coding. Teams running at scale typically see storage costs fall by up to 75%.
50x More IOPS on the Same Hardware
Replace Ceph's 4,000–8,000 IOPS per core ceiling with simplyblock's NVMe-first architecture that delivers up to 250,000 IOPS per core on modern hardware.
Simpler Day-2 Storage Operations
Without Ceph's OSD, monitor, and metadata server topology to manage, storage upgrades and scaling are straightforward Kubernetes operations rather than coordinated cluster-wide events.
Independent Upgrade Cadence
Simplyblock upgrades are decoupled from OpenShift version schedules. Teams can move storage and platform versions independently, reducing the coordination overhead of every platform update.
Questions and Answers
What performance improvement can OpenShift teams expect by replacing ODF with simplyblock?
Teams replacing ODF with simplyblock typically see up to 50x more IOPS per CPU core — from Ceph's 4,000–8,000 IOPS/core ceiling to simplyblock's NVMe-first architecture delivering up to 250,000 IOPS/core. P99 latency drops from 2–5ms (typical for ODF/Ceph under load) to under 200 microseconds, which directly improves query performance for databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL running on OpenShift.
Does simplyblock work with Red Hat® OpenShift® Virtualization?
Yes. Simplyblock provides block storage for KubeVirt virtual machine disks and container persistent volumes in the same cluster. See the KubeVirt storage page for details.
How do I migrate from ODF to simplyblock?
Migration is typically done volume by volume. Teams provision new simplyblock volumes, copy data using standard Kubernetes tooling or backup/restore workflows, and decommission ODF volumes progressively. The simplyblock team can walk through the migration approach for your specific cluster configuration.
Is simplyblock Red Hat certified?
For current certification and partner program status, contact the simplyblock team. Simplyblock integrates with OpenShift through the standard Kubernetes CSI interface, which means it works with both certified and non-certified paths depending on your program requirements.
Can simplyblock work in a hyperconverged OpenShift cluster?
Yes. Simplyblock supports hyperconverged topology where compute and storage run on the same nodes. See the OpenShift HCI storage page for the hyperconverged-specific story.
Not sure if simplyblock is right for your team?
Ask your AI assistant to compare OpenShift Data Foundation (ODF) with simplyblock on cost, performance, and day-2 operational complexity for OpenShift storage teams.
ODF and all other product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. Use of these names does not imply endorsement or affiliation. Comparisons are based on publicly available information at the time of publication and may not reflect the most recent product changes. Verify current capabilities with each vendor before making purchasing decisions.