Garage is an S3-compatible distributed object storage system designed for small-to-medium self-hosted environments that require data replication across geographically dispersed nodes. Built in Rust by Deuxfleurs, it was developed to meet the needs of their own production infrastructure, emphasizing simplicity, resilience, and low operational overhead. Unlike heavy cloud-native alternatives, Garage targets users who want full control over their data without relying on third-party S3 providers. It’s ideal for individuals, small teams, or organizations running multi-location infrastructure who need durable, replicated storage that survives node failures and network partitions.
What You Get
- S3-compatible API - Fully implements the S3 REST API, allowing seamless integration with existing tools like AWS CLI, rclone, MinIO client, and any S3-compatible application without code changes.
- Geo-distributed replication - Automatically replicates data across nodes in different physical locations, ensuring availability even if one site goes offline.
- Built-in fault tolerance - Uses erasure coding and replication to survive machine failures while maintaining data durability without requiring RAID or external storage systems.
- Lightweight and easy to operate - Single binary deployment with minimal dependencies; uses a simple configuration file and built-in CLI for cluster management.
- Automatic node discovery and rebalancing - Nodes automatically join the cluster, detect failures, and redistribute data to maintain optimal replication levels without manual intervention.
Common Use Cases
- Building a self-hosted media archive with cross-site redundancy - Storing photo and video libraries across three home servers in different cities, ensuring data remains accessible even if one location loses power or internet.
- Hosting a private S3 backend for backups and CI/CD artifacts - Replacing AWS S3 with Garage to store build artifacts and daily database dumps on a cluster of Raspberry Pis in a home lab, reducing cloud costs while maintaining reliability.
- Problem → Solution flow: Losing data due to single-point storage failure → Garage’s multi-node replication ensures zero data loss even when a node crashes or is disconnected - A small business lost critical customer uploads because their single NAS failed; switching to Garage with three geographically separated nodes eliminated this risk.
- DevOps teams managing hybrid on-prem/cloud workflows - Using Garage as a consistent S3 endpoint across multiple data centers and cloud VPS instances, enabling uniform backup and static asset serving policies without vendor lock-in.
Under The Hood
Garage is a distributed object storage system implemented in Rust, designed to offer S3-compatible storage with advanced capabilities such as multi-node clustering, bucket aliasing, and comprehensive administrative APIs. It prioritizes distributed consistency, observability, and operational flexibility through a modular architecture that supports scalable and resilient storage deployments.
Architecture
Garage adopts a layered architecture that clearly separates core storage logic from API handling and administrative interfaces.
- The system is organized into distinct crates, each managing specific responsibilities such as API layers, common utilities, and core storage modules
- Core components like bucket tables, key tables, and cluster layout management are decoupled from API logic to ensure modularity
- CRDT-based data structures and distributed consistency patterns are employed for managing cluster state and ensuring data integrity across nodes
Tech Stack
Garage is built using modern Rust practices and integrates with a robust ecosystem of tools for development, deployment, and observability.
- The system is implemented in Rust with heavy use of async/await, tokio runtime, and hyper for HTTP communication
- It leverages CRDTs for distributed state management and integrates OpenTelemetry for metrics, tracing, and observability
- Development and deployment are supported through Nix for reproducible environments and Docker for containerization
Code Quality
Garage demonstrates solid Rust coding practices with a focus on error handling, async patterns, and modular design.
- Comprehensive error handling is implemented through custom error types and standardized HTTP responses with appropriate status codes
- The codebase follows consistent module structures and uses async/await patterns effectively for resource management and error propagation
- Modular organization supports clear interfaces between components, though some technical debt remains in long-term maintainability
What Makes It Unique
Garage introduces several innovative approaches to distributed storage that distinguish it from conventional systems.
- Implements a sophisticated cluster layout management system with staging and versioning to support safe node role transitions
- Offers dual API versions (v0 and v1) with clear migration paths, ensuring backward compatibility during upgrades
- Provides extensive observability features including Prometheus metrics, OpenTelemetry integration, and detailed health checks for operational insight