Xen Orchestra
Xen Orchestra is a self-hosted web platform for visualizing, managing, backing up and delegating XCP-ng or XenServer infrastructure across pools and sites wi…
What Xen Orchestra is
Xen Orchestra is a self-hosted web platform for visualizing, managing, backing up and delegating XCP-ng or XenServer infrastructure across pools and sites without requiring an agent. It supports full, incremental, chained, mirrored and replicated backups, along with encryption, recovery checks and file-level restore. Amazon S3 and other S3-compatible storage can serve as backup destinations.
The Xen Orchestra Appliance is a pre-built virtual machine deployed on a host; installation from source is also available. XO 6 and XO 5 are two web interfaces on the same server and use the same data. For automation, the platform has a supported REST API with a live OpenAPI reference, plus Ansible inventory, Packer and Terraform providers, Kubernetes recipes and webhooks. Authentication options include LDAP or SSO plugins, role-based access controls and API scoping. A 30-day trial reverts to the Free feature set afterward, retaining data and configuration. Plan limits differ: Essential and Essential+ list a maximum of three hosts per pool, while Pro and Enterprise list 64. Vates reported that version 6.9.0, released on 2026-09-30, fixes a privilege-escalation vulnerability affecting earlier versions.
Good
- Manages XCP-ng and XenServer without an agent.
- Supports multiple backup types and file-level restore.
- Provides a supported REST API.
- Free features retain data and configuration after trial.
- Supports LDAP or SSO and role-based access controls.
Watch out
- Essential and Essential+ allow a maximum of three hosts per pool.
- Pro requires a minimum of three hosts.
- Enterprise requires a minimum of four hosts.
- Versions before 6.9.0 were affected by a reported vulnerability.
Who it suits
Xen Orchestra suits teams managing XCP-ng or XenServer infrastructure who need self-hosted administration, backups or automation. Its plans and support options have different host limits and ticket or response terms.
Verdict
Xen Orchestra combines self-hosted infrastructure management with backup and automation tools, and the free feature set remains available after the trial. Check plan host and support limits, and note that the reported privilege-escalation issue is fixed in version 6.9.0.
Plans and prices
From Xen Orchestra's own pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $1,000 a year | minimum 3 hosts · unlimited tickets/year · business-day support · 1 Xen Orchestra Appliance · 1000 /host/year |
| Enterprise | $1,800 a year | minimum 4 hosts · unlimited tickets/year · 24/7 support · setup/upgrade assistance · 1 Xen Orchestra Appliance · 1800 /host/year |
| Essential | $2,000 a year | maximum 3 hosts · 6 tickets/year · business-day support · 1 Xen Orchestra Appliance · 2000 /year |
| Essential + | $4,000 a year | maximum 3 hosts · unlimited tickets/year · business-day support · complete feature access · 1 Xen Orchestra Appliance · 4000 /year |
The facts
Each one read from Xen Orchestra's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Authentication
- Xen Orchestra supports LDAP or SSO authentication plugins, role-based access controls and API scoping.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Automation integrations
- The platform provides Ansible inventory, Packer and Terraform providers, Kubernetes recipes and webhooks.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Backups
- The product supports full, incremental, chained, mirrored and replicated backups, backup encryption, recovery checks and file-level restore.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The Xen Orchestra Appliance is a pre-built virtual machine that is deployed on a host, while Xen Orchestra can also be installed from source.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Host limits
- The plan comparison lists a maximum of three hosts per pool for Essential and Essential+ and 64 hosts per pool for Pro and Enterprise.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Xen Orchestra visualizes, manages, backs up and delegates XCP-ng or XenServer infrastructure across any number of pools and sites without requiring an agent.checked 1 Oct 2026
- REST API
- The public supported automation interface is Xen Orchestra's REST API, documented with a live OpenAPI reference.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security advisory
- Vates reported a Xen Orchestra privilege-escalation vulnerability affecting versions before 6.9.0 and stated that version 6.9.0 released on 2026-09-30 fixes it.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security model
- Vates describes XCP-ng and Xen Orchestra as fully open and auditable, and says security updates are not gated behind paid support.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Storage integration
- Amazon S3 and other S3-compatible storage can be used as backup destinations.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Support limits
- Essential includes six support tickets per year, while Enterprise includes 24/7 support and a one-hour severity-1 response time.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Web interfaces
- XO 6 and XO 5 run as two web interfaces on the same server and use the same data.checked 1 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2012checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Grenoble, Francechecked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free operation
- When the 30-day trial ends, the appliance continues working with the Free feature set and retains data and configuration.checked 1 Oct 2026
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