An open-source AWS alternative for workloads you already run.
Spinifex is an open-source, AWS-compatible cloud that runs EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, EKS, ECS and RDS on hardware you own. Keep the AWS CLI, SDKs and Terraform, change the endpoint, and run the workload in your data centre, at the edge or fully air-gapped.
What kind of AWS alternative is Spinifex?
“AWS alternative” can describe very different products: another hosted public cloud, a private-cloud control plane, a local development emulator, or replacements for individual services. Spinifex is an open-source, AWS API compatible infrastructure platform. It runs real workloads on bare metal and across clusters, including environments that cannot depend on an external cloud control plane.
It does not claim to reproduce the entire AWS catalogue. The useful question is narrower: does your workload rely on the service APIs Spinifex implements? If it does, you can test a change of endpoint while retaining the AWS CLI, SDKs, Terraform workflows, and application integration you already use.
When an AWS-compatible alternative helps
Cloud repatriation
Move a supported workload onto your data-centre hardware or a Neocloud without beginning with a full application rewrite.
Sovereign infrastructure
Choose the hardware, operator, network, data location, keys, and jurisdiction behind the service endpoint.
Disconnected operations
Put compute and storage beside the operation when reliable reach-back to a hyperscaler is unavailable or undesirable.
The compatible service surface
Start with the API calls your workload actually makes. Spinifex groups its compute, storage, networking, and identity services behind an AWS-compatible interface rather than asking teams to learn a new deployment model first.
EC2
VM lifecycle and instance management backed by QEMU/KVM compute.
EBS
Block volumes and snapshots provided by the Viperblock storage engine.
S3
Buckets and objects provided by Predastore with SigV4 authentication and multipart uploads.
VPC
Virtual networks, subnets, routing, and the network primitives used by workloads.
IAM and STS
Users, groups, roles, policies evaluated per request, and assumed-role sessions, with instance profiles delivered through IMDS.
ELB
Application and Network Load Balancers with HTTPS listeners, rules and health checks.
EKS, ECS and ECR
Kubernetes clusters with managed node groups and IRSA, ECS services and tasks, and an OCI registry for your images.
RDS
Managed PostgreSQL and MariaDB with snapshots, parameter groups and backups.
ACM
Certificate import, plus issuance and renewal from a private CA.
Bedrock-compatible inference
Converse and InvokeModel against open-weight models on your own GPUs.
Tooling
AWS CLI and SDK clients, plus Terraform workflows configured for a different endpoint.
Spinifex compared with other AWS alternatives
Most AWS alternatives ask you to change one of two things: the APIs your tooling speaks, or who owns the hardware. Spinifex keeps the AWS APIs and puts the hardware in your hands.
| Platform | AWS APIs and tooling | Who owns the hardware | Runs disconnected | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinifex | Yes: AWS CLI, SDKs and Terraform with a new endpoint | You | Yes, including air-gapped | AGPL-3.0 |
| AWS Outposts | Yes | AWS, installed in your facility | No, it needs its parent AWS region | Proprietary subscription |
| OpenStack | No, it has its own APIs | You | Yes | Apache-2.0 |
| Ubicloud | No, it has its own API | You, or a hosting provider | Yes, when self-hosted | AGPL-3.0 |
| Proxmox VE | No, it manages VMs and containers | You | Yes | AGPL-3.0 |
| LocalStack | Emulated, for development and CI | Your laptop or CI runner | Yes | Proprietary, paid for commercial use |
Detailed comparisons: OpenStack vs Spinifex, Ubicloud vs Spinifex, Proxmox vs Spinifex and LocalStack vs Spinifex.
Where Spinifex fits, and where it doesn't
Spinifex fits when a workload is built around supported infrastructure primitives and the reason for moving is control, locality, offline operation, or infrastructure economics. It can be self-hosted, deployed at the edge, or operated on a partner Neocloud; see the Spinifex deployment options.
A workload deeply coupled to AWS-only managed products still needs an explicit dependency assessment. Inventory its APIs, data flows, identity assumptions, and operational services before calling any platform a replacement. The fastest honest test is to point a representative deployment at a Spinifex sandbox and record which calls work, which require configuration, and which require a different service.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open-source alternative to AWS?
It depends on what you need to keep. If you want to keep the AWS CLI, SDKs and Terraform and only change where workloads run, Spinifex is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) AWS-compatible cloud that runs EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, EKS, ECS, RDS and more on your own hardware. If you are willing to adopt new APIs, OpenStack, Ubicloud and Proxmox are mature open-source platforms with their own interfaces.
Can I run AWS services on my own hardware?
You cannot install AWS itself, but you can run a platform that implements the same APIs. Spinifex runs on standard x86 or ARM Linux servers and serves AWS-compatible endpoints for compute, block and object storage, networking, identity, containers and databases. Existing AWS tooling talks to it by changing the endpoint.
What are the alternatives to AWS Outposts?
AWS Outposts puts AWS-owned hardware in your facility, managed from an AWS region it must stay connected to. Spinifex is the open-source alternative: it runs on hardware you buy and own, keeps the AWS APIs, and operates fully disconnected, including air-gapped sites. Azure Local and Google Distributed Cloud are the equivalents from the other hyperscalers.
Does Terraform work with Spinifex?
Yes. Use the standard hashicorp/aws provider with endpoint overrides pointing at Spinifex. Resources such as aws_instance, aws_vpc, aws_s3_bucket and aws_iam_role apply unchanged.
Does Spinifex need an internet connection?
No. Every service runs on your hardware with no dependency on AWS or on Mulga, and Spinifex installs from a bootable ISO into fully air-gapped sites.
Does Spinifex replace every AWS service?
No. AWS has hundreds of services and Spinifex implements the infrastructure most applications are built on: EC2, EBS, S3, VPC, IAM, STS, load balancers, EKS, ECS, ECR, ACM, RDS and a Bedrock-compatible inference API. Inventory the API calls your workload makes and test them against the free sandbox before planning a migration.
Point familiar AWS tooling at Spinifex.
Use a sandbox to test the APIs your workload actually depends on.