Canonical MAAS

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Score7.0

Rank#12 of 67

From$2.50/mo

Free planYes

Runs onAPI, Linux, Self-hosted, Web

Summary

Canonical MAAS is an open source platform for managing physical servers as cloud resources. It automates server discovery, inventory, commissioning, deployment, and decommissioning, with nodes managed through a web UI, command line, or API. Its API integrates with Terraform, Juju, and Ansible for infrastructure automation and orchestration. MAAS discovers machines through PXE boot and supports IPMI-enabled servers, as well as subnet, VLAN, and switch-fabric discovery. It can configure networking and storage, run hardware tests, and manage LXD and KVM virtual machines. Listed operating system images include Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows, and RHEL; images can be synchronized or served from an onsite mirror for offline use. The free self-support plan covers all machines but has no HA support, RBAC, Knowledge Base, Sev 1 response SLA, phone support, or ticket support. Paid plans start at 30.00 USD per year per managed machine. Ubuntu Pro is required for MAAS controllers, and Canonical says it provides security patching and enterprise support for controllers and Ubuntu machines.

Who it is for

MAAS suits teams managing physical servers for private cloud with OpenStack, server automation, or bare metal Kubernetes. Its single-machine installation is also described for homelabs, proofs of concept, and small production environments.

What is good

Automates the physical-server lifecycle.
Provides web, command-line, and API management.
Integrates with Terraform, Juju, and Ansible.
Can synchronize images or serve them offline.
Free self-support plan covers all machines.

What to know first

Free plan has no HA support.
Free plan excludes phone and ticket support.
Controllers require Ubuntu Pro.
Essential costs 30.00 USD per year per managed machine.

Verdict

MAAS automates provisioning and management for physical-server environments, with network, storage, VM, and hardware-test capabilities. Compare the free plan's support limits with the paid tiers, and account for the Ubuntu Pro controller requirement.

Canonical MAAS plans and pricing

All plans

Self-support Free Free for all machines · no HA support · no RBAC · no Knowledge Base · no Sev 1 response SLA · no phone or ticket support canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026

Essential $30/yr per managed machine HA support · RBAC · Knowledge Base · no Sev 1 response SLA · no phone or ticket support canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026

Standard $50/yr per managed machine HA support · RBAC · Knowledge Base · Sev 1 response time: 4 hours · phone and ticket support during office hours canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026

Advanced $100/yr per managed machine HA support · RBAC · Knowledge Base · Sev 1 response time: 1 hour · phone and ticket support 24 hours a day, every day canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on IT automation software

Free plan: Yescanonical.com
API access: Yescanonical.com

Facts

Purpose: MAAS is an open source platform for centrally managing and provisioning physical servers as cloud resources.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Lifecycle automation: MAAS automatically discovers, inventories, commissions, deploys, and decommissions physical servers.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Infrastructure as code: MAAS provides a cloud-like API and integrates with Terraform, Juju, and Ansible for infrastructure automation and orchestration.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Hardware discovery: MAAS discovers servers through PXE boot and supports IPMI-enabled machines, with discovery for subnets, VLANs, and switch fabrics.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Management interfaces: Nodes can be managed remotely through the web UI, command line, or API.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Operating system images: The feature tour lists Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows, and RHEL images, and says images can be synchronized or served from an onsite mirror for offline use.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Network configuration: MAAS supports IP assignment, bonding, VLAN configuration, virtual bridges, static routes, DHCP, and DNS management.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Storage configuration: MAAS supports storage layouts including Bcache, RAID, and LVM.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Virtual machines: MAAS integrates LXD and KVM capabilities to create and manage VMs through its UI, CLI, and API.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Hardware testing: MAAS can run built-in hardware tests or uploaded tests and retain historical test data and metrics.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Security and support: Canonical says Ubuntu Pro provides security patching and enterprise support for MAAS controllers and Ubuntu machines; controllers require Ubuntu Pro.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Support eligibility: Standalone Support covers machines that do not run Ubuntu Pro, but requires Ubuntu Pro on the machines hosting MAAS controllers.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Target users: Canonical describes MAAS as suitable for private cloud with OpenStack, server automation, and bare metal Kubernetes deployments.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026
Installation options: Canonical documentation describes a single-machine region-and-rack installation for homelabs, proofs of concept, or small production environments, and multiple controllers for high availability.canonical.com · 30 Sept 2026