OpenStack alternative — when operational complexity stops paying

Open-source Cozystack (a CNCF project we create and maintain) → Ænix Platform, the supported commercial distribution → Aenix builds, operates and migrates it.

An OpenStack alternative is a cloud platform that delivers OpenStack’s open-source and multi-tenant guarantees with a lighter operational footprint. Cozystack is a Kubernetes-native, Apache 2.0 alternative for service providers, regulated multi-tenant operators, and modern greenfield deployments that no longer need OpenStack’s 50-100+ services or its shrinking engineering talent pool. It runs virtual machines (KubeVirt) and containers on one Kubernetes API, uses Cilium (eBPF) for networking, LINSTOR/DRBD for storage, and a Tenant CRD for multi-tenancy. Aenix, the team behind Cozystack, offers Ænix Platform, a productized commercial offering, plus migration and consulting services for organizations moving from OpenStack to a Kubernetes-native foundation.

Quick facts

What it is A Kubernetes-native, Apache 2.0 platform that replaces OpenStack’s multi-component stack with a smaller set of operators while keeping open-source and multi-tenant guarantees.
License Apache 2.0 (no per-CPU / per-core licensing)
Status Cozystack is a CNCF project (Sandbox since 2025-02-28; Incubating expected late summer 2026)
Best for Service providers, regulated multi-tenant environments, and modern greenfield projects; not large-telco teams with deep OpenStack expertise.
Operational footprint 5-15 Kubernetes operators versus OpenStack’s 50-100+ service processes; VMs via KubeVirt, networking via Cilium (eBPF), storage via LINSTOR/DRBD (an existing Ceph cluster can stay in place), multi-tenancy via Tenant CRD.
Migration timeline Typically 4-12 months for a mid-size deployment (Keystone to Tenant CRD, Neutron to Cilium, Cinder to LINSTOR (DRBD)).
Commercial offering Ænix Platform tiers: Basic $1,250/mo (10 nodes), Standard $3,000, Plus $5,500, Enterprise custom.

OpenStack is mature, broad, and proven at telco / government scale. It also requires significant operational expertise to run well, and finding OpenStack engineers in 2026 is harder than it was 5 years ago. Many organizations now ask whether the operational footprint matches the actual workload portfolio — and whether a Kubernetes-native alternative is the right next platform.

Cozystack is the open-source alternative for organizations that want OpenStack’s open-source-and-multi-tenant guarantees with a lighter operational footprint. Same-license (Apache 2.0), Kubernetes-native foundation, fewer moving parts.

Pairs with: Ænix Public Cloud Platform — hosting providers and regional clouds modernizing from OpenStack, and large operators consolidating OpenStack onto a multi-region control plane.

Book a review OpenStack → Cozystack guide →

When OpenStack stops being the right answer

Engineer hiring is hard — OpenStack operators are specialists and scarce on the market; Kubernetes expertise is plentiful.
Operational footprint exceeds value — you’re running 30+ OpenStack components when 5-10 Kubernetes operators would do.
Workload portfolio is mostly modern — most workloads are Kubernetes-friendly; legacy VMs are minority.
You’re maintaining your own forks / patches — vendor-distro version is too far behind upstream.
Greenfield project — new deployment doesn’t need OpenStack’s specific telco-scale features.

Where OpenStack is genuinely better

Breadth, and it is not a small thing:

Ironic. Bare-metal provisioning as a first-class cloud service, with inspection, cleaning and RAID configuration. Cozystack has no equivalent. If bare metal is a product you sell, this alone can end the conversation.
Octavia, Manila, Barbican, Designate, Swift. Load balancing, shared filesystems, key management, DNS and object storage as tenant APIs. Cozystack reaches some of those outcomes with different primitives and does not reach others at all.
Telco and NFV. SR-IOV, DPDK, huge pages, CPU pinning and NUMA-aware placement are production-hardened in Nova, and VNF vendors certify against OpenStack. Certification outweighs technology here.
Fifteen years of scale evidence and a genuine choice of commercially supported distributions. Cozystack is younger; weigh that honestly.

If you have a staffed operations team, an exercised upgrade path, and real use of that wider surface — keep OpenStack. The honest engagement says so, and this one does.

Cozystack as OpenStack alternative

	OpenStack	Cozystack
License	Apache 2.0	Apache 2.0
Foundation	Multiple Python projects (Nova, Neutron, etc.)	Kubernetes + KubeVirt + Cilium
Multi-tenancy	Keystone projects	Tenant CRD
Operational footprint	50-100+ service processes across a dozen projects	5-15 Kubernetes operators
Engineer availability	Specialist, hard to hire in most markets	Kubernetes-large
VM workloads	Nova + KVM	KubeVirt
Container workloads	Magnum or Kubernetes on Nova VMs	Native, same control plane
Best for	Large telco / government / OpenStack-fluent teams	Service providers, regulated multi-tenant, modern greenfield

Still comparing? See pricing & platforms →

Migration from OpenStack to Cozystack

VM image migration: straightforward (KVM → KubeVirt). Tenant model: re-architect from Keystone projects to Tenant CRD. Network: Neutron → Cilium. Storage: Cinder → LINSTOR/DRBD, or an existing Ceph cluster stays where it is and the platform consumes it.

Typical migration: 4-12 months for mid-size deployment.

OpenStack

50-100+ servicesNova / Neutron / KeystoneShrinking talent pool

migrates via

4-12 month migration

Keystone → Tenant CRDNeutron → CiliumCinder → LINSTOR (DRBD)

lands on

Cozystack

One Kubernetes APIKubeVirt VMs + containersApache 2.0

delivers

Lighter operational footprint

5-15 operatorsFewer moving parts

Book a call

Ænix is the team behind Cozystack (CNCF Project), and we offer Ænix Platform — our commercial productized offering based on Cozystack.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cozystack a drop-in replacement for OpenStack?

No. Cozystack is a Kubernetes-native platform with a different architecture. VM image migration (KVM to KubeVirt) is straightforward, but the tenant model is re-architected from Keystone projects to the Tenant CRD, networking moves from Neutron to Cilium, and storage from Cinder to LINSTOR/DRBD (Ceph often stays). Plan a migration rather than a swap.

When should we keep OpenStack instead of migrating?

Keep OpenStack if your scale or use case genuinely requires it: large-telco deployments, deep in-house OpenStack expertise, or telco-scale features. Cozystack is the better fit when engineer hiring is hard, the operational footprint exceeds the value delivered, or most workloads are already Kubernetes-friendly.

How does the operational footprint compare?

OpenStack typically runs 50-100+ services across multiple Python projects (Nova, Neutron, Keystone, and others). Cozystack consolidates equivalent capabilities into roughly 5-15 Kubernetes operators, reducing the number of moving parts to maintain and patch.

How long does an OpenStack to Cozystack migration take?

A mid-size deployment typically takes 4-12 months. The main work is re-architecting the tenant model from Keystone projects to the Tenant CRD and moving networking from Neutron to Cilium; VM image migration and storage are usually less involved.

Both are Apache 2.0, so why migrate at all?

License is not the driver. Organizations migrate because OpenStack engineering talent is shrinking while Kubernetes expertise is plentiful, because a 50-100+ service footprint can outweigh the value for a mostly modern workload portfolio, and because a Kubernetes-native foundation runs VMs and containers on one API.

Does Aenix offer commercial support for the migration?

Yes. Aenix is the team behind Cozystack and offers Ænix Platform, a productized commercial offering, alongside private-cloud consulting and migration services. Ænix Platform tiers start at Basic $1,250/mo for 10 nodes, with Standard, Plus, and Enterprise options.