Free and open-source tools for virtualization, deployment automation, and server management
Build and manage robust server infrastructure with these powerful open-source tools for virtualization, automated provisioning, and enterprise-grade server applications—all without expensive proprietary software!
| Need | Recommended Tool | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Virtualization Platform | Proxmox VE | All-in-one VM and container management |
| Desktop Virtualization | VirtualBox | Testing and development on workstations |
| Configuration Management | Ansible | Agentless automation across servers |
| Bare Metal Provisioning | MAAS | Automated physical server deployment |
| Container Orchestration | Kubernetes | Managing containerized applications at scale |
| Web Server | Nginx, Apache | Hosting websites and applications |
| Database Server | PostgreSQL, MariaDB | Relational data storage and management |
| Load Balancing | HAProxy, Traefik | Distributing traffic across servers |
Complete Virtualization Platform
KVM and LXC container platform with clustering, storage management, and web-based interface. All-in-one solution for enterprise virtualization.
License: AGPL (Open Source)
Desktop Virtualization
Hosted hypervisor for desktops and small servers. Ideal for testing, development, and running multiple operating systems on workstations.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Linux Kernel Hypervisor
Kernel-based Virtual Machine built into the Linux kernel. Type-1 hypervisor offering near-native performance for enterprise virtualization.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Type-1 Hypervisor
Enterprise-grade Type-1 hypervisor supporting paravirtualization and hardware-assisted virtualization. Powers many cloud platforms.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Machine Emulator & Virtualizer
Generic machine emulator and virtualizer, often used with KVM. Supports numerous architectures and guest operating systems.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Distributed Virtualization Management
Enterprise virtualization management platform built on KVM. Features live migration, high availability, and centralized management.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Virtualization API & Toolset
Unified API and management toolset for multiple virtualization platforms including KVM, QEMU, Xen, and more.
License: LGPL (Open Source)
VM Cluster Management
Cluster virtual server management tool for KVM, Xen, and LXC. Handles migrations, disk management, and cluster operations.
License: BSD (Open Source)
Web-based KVM Management
HTML5 web interface for managing KVM virtual machines. Simple and user-friendly interface for basic VM operations.
License: LGPL (Open Source)
Bare-metal VM Platform
Kubernetes-based hyperconverged infrastructure for bare-metal VM deployment with integrated storage and networking.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Virtual Networking Switch
Production-quality virtual switch designed for VM environments. Supports VLANs, tunneling, QoS, and advanced networking features.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Agentless Automation Engine
Simple, agentless automation for configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration using SSH. YAML-based playbooks.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Configuration Management
Agent-based server automation and configuration management. Declarative approach to defining system state and enforcing compliance.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Infrastructure Orchestration
High-speed infrastructure automation and orchestration tool. Event-driven architecture for real-time configuration management.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Provisioning & Lifecycle Management
Complete lifecycle management for physical and virtual servers. Integrates with Puppet, Ansible, and provisioning tools.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Metal as a Service
Automated provisioning of bare-metal servers. PXE boot, OS deployment, and server inventory management for physical infrastructure.
License: AGPL (Open Source)
Application Modeling & Orchestration
Model-driven application orchestration across multiple clouds and bare metal. Simplifies complex application deployments.
License: AGPL (Open Source)
Deployment Automation
Remote server automation tool for executing scripts and tasks across multiple servers. Popular for web application deployments.
License: MIT (Open Source)
Infrastructure via Kubernetes
Manages cloud infrastructure resources using Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions. Control plane for multi-cloud infrastructure.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Cloud & Virtualization Management
Unified management platform for cloud and virtualization environments. Provisioning, monitoring, and automation across multiple platforms.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Cloud Platform
Complete cloud computing platform for deploying VMs, networking, and storage. Build private and public clouds at any scale.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
High-Performance Web Server
High-performance web server, reverse proxy, and load balancer. Known for efficiency, low resource usage, and handling concurrent connections.
License: BSD (Open Source)
Classic Web Server
Mature, feature-rich web server powering millions of websites. Extensive module ecosystem and .htaccess configuration support.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Modern Web Server
Modern web server with automatic HTTPS via Let's Encrypt. Simple configuration and built-in security features out of the box.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Java Servlet Container
Open-source Java servlet container for hosting Java web applications. Lightweight implementation of Java EE specifications.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Java EE Application Server
Lightweight, modular Java EE application server (formerly JBoss). Full Jakarta EE support for enterprise applications.
License: LGPL (Open Source)
Advanced Relational Database
Powerful, standards-compliant relational database with advanced features. JSON support, full-text search, and strong data integrity.
License: PostgreSQL License (Open Source)
MySQL-Compatible Database
Drop-in MySQL replacement with enhanced performance, additional features, and active development. Compatible with MySQL applications.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Document-Oriented NoSQL
Flexible document database storing JSON-like documents. Horizontal scaling, rich query language, and schema-less design.
License: SSPL (Community Edition)
Document-Oriented NoSQL
Distributed NoSQL database with HTTP API, multi-master replication, and offline-first sync capabilities. RESTful JSON document storage.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
In-Memory Data Store
High-performance in-memory key-value store supporting strings, hashes, lists, sets, and more. Used for caching, sessions, and real-time analytics.
License: BSD (Open Source)
Distributed Memory Caching
Simple, high-performance distributed memory caching system. Reduces database load by caching data and objects in RAM.
License: BSD (Open Source)
Container Runtime
Industry-standard container runtime for building, shipping, and running containerized applications. Lightweight virtualization alternative.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
Container Orchestration
Production-grade container orchestration platform for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
License: Apache 2.0 (Open Source)
TCP/HTTP Load Balancer
High-performance TCP/HTTP load balancer and proxy server. Distributes workloads across multiple servers with health checking and failover.
License: GPL/LGPL (Open Source)
Cloud-Native Proxy
Modern HTTP reverse proxy and load balancer for microservices. Automatic service discovery, Let's Encrypt integration, and Docker support.
License: MIT (Open Source)
SMB/CIFS File Server
File and print server implementing SMB/CIFS protocol. Enables seamless file sharing between Linux/Unix and Windows systems.
License: GPL (Open Source)
Directory Server
Open-source LDAP directory server for centralized authentication and identity management. Used for user accounts and organizational data.
License: OpenLDAP Public License (Open Source)
Message Broker
Robust message broker supporting multiple messaging protocols. Queue management, routing, and reliable message delivery for distributed systems.
License: MPL 2.0 (Open Source)