Minio

Self-Hosted

Open-source object storage server compatible with AWS S3 API

Overview

Minio is a high-performance, distributed object storage system built for scalability and AWS S3 API compatibility. It stores unstructured data (photos, videos, backups, logs) and works across on-premises, cloud, or edge environments. Deployable via Docker, Kubernetes, or bare metal, it offers end-to-end encryption, versioning, bucket policies, and lifecycle management. Ideal for cloud-native developers or teams needing self-hosted S3-like storage to avoid vendor lock-in, Minio scales from single-node setups to enterprise multi-cluster deployments with minimal overhead.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  minio:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: minio
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

AWS S3 API compatibility
High-performance distributed storage
End-to-end encryption & data security

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Minio hard to install?

Minio is straightforward to install—use Docker (single command), binary files, or Kubernetes. Basic setups take minutes; clustering needs understanding distributed storage but has detailed documentation to guide you.

? Is it a good alternative to AWS S3?

Yes! Minio is fully S3-compatible, so you can use the same tools/libraries (like boto3). It’s perfect for self-hosted use cases to avoid vendor lock-in or reduce cloud costs, especially for edge or on-prem deployments.

? Is it completely free?

Minio’s core object storage is open-source (Apache 2.0 license) and 100% free. Paid enterprise plans offer advanced features like 24/7 support or monitoring, but the self-hosted basic version has no cost.

Top Alternatives

AWS S3 Search Google

Google Cloud Storage Search Google

Azure Blob Storage Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category File Transfer - Object Storage & File Servers

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ S3-compatible (easy migration from cloud storage)
⊕ Lightweight & scalable from edge to enterprise
⊕ Open-source with no hidden costs

Cons

⊖ Requires technical knowledge for clustering setup
⊖ Limited built-in UI compared to SaaS object storage platforms