Virtualization Storage Ledger 2026
Ledger
Virtualization Storage Ledger 2026
Proxmox Ceph: Virtualization Storage Ledger 2026 Scorecard
Upstream Ceph packaged into Proxmox VE: installed from the GUI, covered by the Proxmox subscription, usable by Proxmox VE alone, and one release behind upstream.
Edition October 16, 20268 min read
Where Proxmox VE Ceph put its effort, 2016 to 2026
Each square is one capability area in one year. The brighter it is, the more the area gained in the Virtualization Storage Ledger that year; 1, 2 and 3 mark that year's biggest pushes.
| ’16 | ’17 | ’18 | ’19 | ’20 | ’21 | ’22 | ’23 | ’24 | ’25 | ’26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data services core | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Resilience and HA | 1 | ||||||||||
| Performance and protocols | 1 | ||||||||||
| Hypervisor integration | 1 | ||||||||||
| Scale and topology | 2 | ||||||||||
| Data protection and DR | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Security | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Operations and automation | 3 | ||||||||||
| Hardware and deployment freedom | 3 | ||||||||||
| Kubernetes and containers | 2 |
no change+0.5+1+1.5 or moreScores out of 5 per area.
Biggest pushes overall: Data services core (+1.5), Data protection and DR (+1.5), Security (+1.5). Already strong in 2015: Hardware and deployment freedom, Resilience and HA, Hypervisor integration.
Top focus each year: 2017 Data services core; 2018 Performance and protocols; 2019 Security; 2020 Data protection and DR; 2021 Resilience and HA; 2023 Security; 2025 Hypervisor integration; 2026 Data services core. 3 of 11 years show no gain in any area.
Part of the Virtualization Storage Ledger (edition 2026-10-16). How the scores work: methodology.
Snapshot
- Type: product (packaging of an engine, not sold or versioned on its own)
- Owner: Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH (private, Vienna) builds and signs its own Ceph packages and repositories (suffix -pve); Ceph itself is governed by the Ceph Foundation
- Engine: Ceph (upstream) on Proxmox VE, managed by pveceph and the Proxmox web UI
- Licence: Ceph is LGPL-2.1 or LGPL-3, Proxmox VE is AGPLv3; no separate Ceph charge, Ceph is in every plan; subscription per CPU socket per year net: Community EUR 120, Basic EUR 370, Standard EUR 550, Premium EUR 1,100; the enterprise Ceph repository needs a subscription of any level, the no-subscription repository is free and meant for testing
- Latest release: Ceph Tentacle 20.2.1 with Proxmox VE 9.2 (2026-05-21), Squid 19.2.3 also shipped; the arm64 build of 9.2 (2026-08-05) ships Tentacle 20.2.3; packaging of 20.2.4 not confirmed
- Support lifecycle: Proxmox estimates Ceph end of life at Squid September 2026 and Tentacle November 2027 for the Proxmox VE 9 repositories; upstream says 2026-10-31 and 2027-06-01; each Proxmox VE major release requires a minimum Ceph major release; Reef was end of life by 2026-01-09
- Next milestone: Roadmap item: semi-automated, ordered restarts of monitors, managers, MDS and OSDs during Ceph upgrades, no date; Premium 24/7 support from 2026-10-19
- Hypervisors: Proxmox VE only (pve-docs chapter pveceph): RBD and CephFS consumed by the same cluster's QEMU/KVM guests and containers; Proxmox ships no NVMe/TCP, iSCSI or SMB gateway, so VMware and Hyper-V cannot use it without tooling from outside Proxmox
- Tier: Ceph family
- Archetype: Steady upstream tracker
- Evidence grade: B. Pricing, repository rules, estimated Ceph end-of-life dates and the Ceph versions shipped with Proxmox VE 8.3 to 9.2 were read from proxmox.com, pve.proxmox.com and the Proxmox forum. Platform-level items (Backup Server, backup provider API, arm64) come from the Proxmox VE scorecard in the VM Platform Ledger. Which Ceph release each Proxmox VE version carried before 8.3 is from general knowledge, so the 2015 to 2022 steps are grade C.
Scope of the scores: This entry scores Ceph as Proxmox packages, documents and supports it inside Proxmox VE, with its own release cadence, GUI and subscription. Platform features that protect VMs on Ceph (Backup Server, the backup provider API) count under data protection; everything else about the hypervisor is scored in the VM Platform Ledger.
Scorecard
| Dimension | Score | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Capability today | 68.5 / 100 | higher is better |
| Momentum since end of 2022 | +6.8 points (2015 to 2022: +10.3) | higher is better |
| Credibility | 16.5 / 25 | higher is better |
| Commercial risk | 7.0 / 25 | lower is better |
| Technical lock-in | 6.5 / 25 | lower is better |
| Integrator fit | 12.0 / 20 | higher is better |
| AI leverage | 3.0 / 20 | higher is better |
| Ledger Index | 61.0 / 100 | balanced weights; see the methodology |
Capability by domain, 2015 to today
Scores 0 to 5 against fixed anchors; total is weighted to 100.
| Domain (weight) | 2015 | 2019 | 2022 | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data services core (15) | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Resilience and HA (15) | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Performance and protocols (12) | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Hypervisor integration (12) | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Scale and topology (10) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Data protection and DR (10) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Security (8) | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Operations and automation (8) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Hardware and deployment freedom (5) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Kubernetes and containers (5) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total / 100 | 51.4 | 58.2 | 61.7 | 68.5 |
Year by year: 2015: 51.4 · 2016: 51.4 · 2017: 54.4 · 2018: 55.6 · 2019: 58.2 · 2020: 60.2 · 2021: 61.7 · 2022: 61.7 · 2023: 62.5 · 2024: 62.5 · 2025: 65.5 · 2026: 68.5
What moved the score
| Year | Domain | Change | Points | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Data services core | 2.5 → 3.5 | +3.0 | 5.1: Ceph Luminous with BlueStore compression and erasure-coded pools for RBD |
| 2018 | Performance and protocols | 2 → 2.5 | +1.2 | 5.3: CephFS as a storage type managed from the GUI; no NVMe/TCP, iSCSI or SMB gateway shipped by Proxmox, the SMB module was missing from the Tentacle test packages in January 2026 |
| 2019 | Kubernetes and containers | 0 → 1 | +1.0 | Community ceph-csi can target a Proxmox Ceph cluster from Kubernetes guests; nothing shipped or documented by Proxmox |
| 2019 | Security | 1.5 → 2.5 | +1.6 | 6.0: Ceph Nautilus packages with msgr2 on-wire encryption; OSD encryption option |
| 2020 | Data protection and DR | 1.5 → 2.5 | +2.0 | Backup Server 1.0: incremental, deduplicated and encrypted backups of guests on Ceph |
| 2021 | Resilience and HA | 3.5 → 4 | +1.5 | 7.0: Ceph Pacific packages bring stretch mode, available from the Ceph command line only; no stretch or MSR wizard in the Proxmox GUI |
| 2023 | Security | 2.5 → 3 | +0.8 | 8.0: Ceph enterprise repository with Proxmox-tested builds, Quincy with RBD per-image encryption; the no-subscription repository stays for testing. Whether the 2026-08-19 CephX fixes (CVE-2025-30156 and three more, upstream 20.2.4 and 19.2.6) have reached the -pve packages is not confirmed |
| 2025 | Data protection and DR | 2.5 → 3 | +1.0 | 8.4: backup provider API with Veeam, Commvault and Cohesity support; no immutable Ceph snapshots, no orchestrated failover |
| 2025 | Hypervisor integration | 3.5 → 4 | +1.2 | 9.1: rxbounce map option for Windows guests on krbd; 9.2: Tentacle default on fresh installs with an upgrade guide and warnings for experimental releases on the enterprise repository; reference depth on one hypervisor, so capped at 4 |
| 2025 | Operations and automation | 3 → 3.5 | +0.8 | 9.1: manual repository mode for air-gapped installs, units in pveceph pool output; 9.2: Squid to Tentacle guide and enterprise-repository warnings; ordered upgrade assistance still on the roadmap, no Terraform or Ansible from Proxmox |
| 2026 | Data services core | 3.5 → 4 | +1.5 | 9.2: Tentacle 20.2.1 with FastEC; pveceph pool create --erasure-coding creates the EC data pool and replicated metadata pool, allow_ec_optimizations documented as a one-way switch; no deduplication |
| 2026 | Hardware and deployment freedom | 4 → 4.5 | +0.5 | 9.2 arm64 build (2026-08-05) ships Ceph Tentacle 20.2.3; storage cannot run as a VM or in a cloud independent of Proxmox hosts |
| 2026 | Scale and topology | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | 9.2 arm64 (2026-08-05): Arm nodes with Tentacle 20.2.3; mixed x86 and Arm clusters not documented |
Direction, 2023 to 2026
Each release item carries one theme and one driver (V vision, C customer need, M market window, U upstream, P portfolio).
| Date | Item | Theme | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06 | 8.0: Ceph enterprise repository included with any subscription level | Packaging | C |
| 2024-11 | 8.3: Ceph Squid 19.2.0 as technology preview beside Reef 18.2.4 and Quincy 17.2.7 | Packaging | U |
| 2025-04 | 8.4: Squid 19.2.1; Quincy declared end of life; OSD crash on 19.2.0-pve1 to 19.2.1-pve2 fixed in 19.2.1-pve3 | Operations | U |
| 2025-04 | 8.4: backup provider API with Veeam, Commvault and Cohesity support | Data protection | C |
| 2025-08 | 9.0: Squid 19.2.3; Ceph dashboard and restful module fixes | Packaging | U |
| 2025-11 | 9.1: rxbounce for Windows guests on krbd, manual repository mode for air-gapped installs, OSD regressions fixed | Hypervisor integration | C |
| 2026-01 | Tentacle 20.2 offered as a preview in the test repository; Reef end of life | Packaging | U |
| 2026-05 | 9.2: Tentacle 20.2.1 stable and default on fresh installs; Squid to Tentacle guide; warning when an experimental Ceph release meets the enterprise repository | Packaging | U |
| 2026-05 | 9.2: pool size and min_size dialog fixes | Operations | C |
| 2026-08 | 9.2 arm64 build ships Ceph Tentacle 20.2.3 | Hardware | V |
| 2026-09 | Squid to Tentacle guide updated (2026-09-28); Squid enterprise repository still listed as available past its estimated September 2026 end | Packaging | U |
| 2026-10 | Premium subscriptions move to 24/7 support from 2026-10-19; Ceph remains included in every plan | Licensing | M |
| 2026-10 | Roadmap: semi-automated ordered Ceph upgrades listed without a date | Operations | C |
- Centre of gravity: Packaging (6), Operations (3), Data protection (1)
- Blind spots (no items): Data services, Resilience, Performance, Scale, Security, Kubernetes, AI
- Driver mix: Vision 8%, Customer need 38%, Market window 8%, Upstream 46%, Portfolio 0%
- Idea-to-need index: 0.14 (0 = demand-pulled, 1 = thesis-pushed)
Credibility: 16.5 / 25
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | 3.5 | Follows upstream with a lag of about six months: Tentacle upstream 2025-11-18, Proxmox test repository 2026-01-09, stable option 2026-05-21; no dates published in advance |
| Roadmap transparency | 3.5 | Public roadmap with a Ceph item, public release notes and forum announcements; no dates |
| Say-do | 3 | Squid and Tentacle arrived as announced; the ordered Ceph upgrade item is still pending; Squid support past September 2026 is undefined |
| Velocity | 3 | Mostly version tracking and usability fixes; the EC pool command and rxbounce are the substantive Ceph items since 2023 |
| Lifecycle stability | 3.5 | Published estimated Ceph end-of-life dates and an upgrade guide per step; the 8.4 Squid OSD crash and the minimum-Ceph-per-major rule add risk |
Commercial risk: 7.0 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Price and licence volatility | 1.5 | Same four tiers since 2013, about 6 percent a year since 2023; Ceph carries no separate fee |
| Purchase constraints | 0.5 | Runs without a key; any quantity; all features in every tier |
| Channel and access | 1 | Enterprise Ceph repository needs a subscription of any level; the no-subscription repository is open |
| Owner stability | 2 | Small founder-owned company; the engine is foundation governed |
| Cost of staying supported | 2 | The Proxmox VE major release and the Ceph major release must move together; upgrades are free |
Technical lock-in: 6.5 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Formats | 0.5 | Plain Ceph: RBD images in raw and CephFS |
| Export path | 1 | Standard Ceph tools; the cluster is plain Ceph and other clients can read it |
| Stack coupling | 3 | pveceph, the GUI and /etc/pve/ceph.conf assume a Proxmox VE cluster; storage and compute share nodes |
| Hardware / cloud coupling | 0.5 | Any x86 or arm64 server; fully offline with the manual repository mode |
| Skills and tooling coupling | 1.5 | Linux, Ceph and Proxmox skills; open tooling |
Integrator fit: 12.0 / 20
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Partner programme openness | 4.5 | Open Proxmox partner programme by application; vendor also sells direct at list price |
| Multi-tenancy and self-service | 2 | Ceph pools and Proxmox pools and roles; no quotas portal or metering |
| API and infrastructure-as-code | 3 | The Proxmox REST API covers Ceph services, OSDs and pools; Terraform and Ansible are community-maintained |
| Skills and certification | 2.5 | Proxmox training with a certificate of completion; no Ceph-specific certification |
AI leverage: 3.0 / 20
How the product uses AI, scored per year like capability. Only GA counts.
| Criterion | 2019 | 2022 | Today | Latest step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI workload infrastructure | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2015: RBD and CephFS as VM and container storage; no GPU data path feature of the storage layer |
| AI platform stack | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2015: None |
| AI-assisted operations | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2015: None |
| Agent openness | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2015: Proxmox REST API with tokens covers Ceph management; MCP servers are community only |
Year by year: 2015: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 3
AI say-do, 2023 to 2026: 0 AI items announced; 0 GA, 0 still preview, 0 pending, 0 dropped. Proxmox announced no AI item for its Ceph packaging; platform-level AI is scored in the VM Platform Ledger.
Nothing about Proxmox's Ceph packaging uses AI, and nothing has been announced. Agents can manage it through the Proxmox REST API, which is complete for Ceph services, OSDs and pools.
Reading
Proxmox VE Ceph is the easiest way in this group to get a working Ceph cluster: three nodes, a GUI wizard and one subscription that already covers the hypervisor. Its capability is upstream Ceph about six months behind, minus the gateways, so it serves only Proxmox VE and scores below IBM Storage Ceph and croit on protocols and hypervisor breadth while matching them on data services. Buyer safety is the best in the group, because the subscription is per socket with no Ceph fee and the cluster is plain Ceph underneath. The one thing to check is the Ceph release in your enterprise repository: Squid passes its estimated end of life around October 2026, and the Tentacle packages with the CephX fixes were not confirmed on Proxmox pages.
Open questions and items to re-score
- Whether Proxmox has packaged Tentacle 20.2.4 with the 2026-08-19 CephX fixes (CVE-2025-30156 and three more); the Squid to Tentacle guide mentions 20.2.4 only in passing.
- Whether the Squid enterprise repository keeps receiving updates after its estimated September 2026 end.
- Whether the Ceph NVMe-oF gateway or SMB module is shipped in supported form; a forum report says the SMB module was missing from Tentacle test packages.
- What Ceph-specific support the Premium subscription includes beyond the statement that Ceph is in every plan.
- Ceph releases shipped with Proxmox VE 4 to 8.2 come from general knowledge, not from pages read this session.
- Whether stretch mode and MSR CRUSH rules are supported when configured from the command line on a Proxmox cluster.
Related reading
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