Unlike every other storage solution for OpenStack, Ceph uniquely combines object and block into one complete storage powerhouse for all your OpenStack needs. Ceph is a total replacement for Swift with such distinctive features as intelligent nodes and a revolutionary deterministic placement algorithm, as well as a fully integrated network block device for Cinder.

Ceph’s fully distributed storage cluster and block device decouple compute from storage in OpenStack, allowing mobility of virtual machines (VMs) across your cluster. Ceph’s block device also provides copy-on-write cloning, which enables you to quickly create a thousand VMs from one master image, requiring only enough space to store their subsequent changes.