--- title: 'Open source cloud platform: meet OpenStack' description: OpenStack is the world's most popular open source cloud platform with a rich ecosystem, huge community and straightforward installation instructions. url: https://canonical.com/blog/open-source-cloud-platform?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Tytus Kurek](https://canonical.com/blog/author/tkurek "More about Tytus Kurek") 2 February 2022 # Open source cloud platform: meet OpenStack [cloud](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/cloud) [micro cloud](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/micro-cloud) [MicroStack](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/microstack) [OpenStack](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/openstack) [Private cloud](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/private-cloud) [Tutorial](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/tutorial) --- Share the article Are you looking for an open source cloud platform and you don’t know where to start? Are you getting lost in all the independent rankings and cloud platform comparison pages? [Try OpenStack](https://ubuntu.com/openstack/install) and get your open source cloud platform up and running today. OpenStack works at any scale: from a single workstation to thousands of nodes and installs in minutes. Sounds impossible? Give it a try or continue reading to explore where is it coming from. ## **OpenStack — your open source cloud platform** There are many reasons to use OpenStack among other open source cloud platforms. Founded in 2010, it is undoubtedly one of the most mature and stable ones. OpenStack has been successfully adopted by various companies in the [telecommunications](https://ubuntu.com/blog/bt-turns-to-canonical-ubuntu-to-enable-next-generation-5g-cloud-core), [finance](https://ubuntu.com/engage/sbi-casestudy), and [research](https://ubuntu.com/engage/openstack-cloud-kaust) sectors, and its adoption continues to grow every year. Backed by industry leaders such as [Canonical](https://ubuntu.com/openstack/support), OpenStack is a secure and resilient cloud platform that powers millions of production workloads all over the world. Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/511526/worldwide-survey-private-coud-services-running-application/ OpenStack is also one of the most [featureful](https://ubuntu.com/openstack/features) and versatile cloud platforms. Although it was originally designed as an **infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS)** solution, OpenStack handles bare metal, containerised, and serverless workloads too. It supports various hypervisors, storage backends, and the industry’s leading **software-defined networking (SDN)** controllers. OpenStack provides the flexibility of choice, facilitating integration, and driving innovation. One of the key ingredients of a successful open source project is a focused and passionate community. With thousands of developers and hundreds of organisations involved, OpenStack is backed by one of the world’s biggest open source communities. Run under the governance of the [OpenInfra Foundation](https://openinfra.dev/), the project ensures vendor neutrality and full transparency. Finally, OpenStack comes with a predictable release cadence, providing early access to cutting-edge technologies. ## **Get started with OpenStack in minutes** So, is it really possible to get started with OpenStack in just a few minutes? Let’s find out. Although OpenStack is a beast, there are many ways to tame it. First of all, there are many upstream projects, such as [OpenStack Charms](https://docs.openstack.org/charm-guide/latest/) or [OpenStack Ansible](https://docs.openstack.org/openstack-ansible/latest/), that provide tools for OpenStack installation and operations. Moreover, many vendors provide their proprietary solutions. Obviously, you can also install OpenStack manually or even compile it from the source. But is it really worth the effort? Probably not. In the following steps, we’re going to use [MicroStack – OpenStack in a snap](https://microstack.run). MicroStack is a pure upstream OpenStack platform, designed for the edge and small-scale private cloud deployments, that can be installed and maintained with minimal effort. So, let’s try to install MicroStack and see how it works. All we’re going to need is a machine with the [latest Ubuntu LTS](https://ubuntu.com/download/server) installed, multi-core CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and 100 GB of storage. First, execute the following command to install the microstack snap: ``` $ sudo snap install microstack --beta ``` Then, execute the following command to initialise MicroStack in the single-node mode: ``` $ sudo microstack init --auto --control ``` This command takes a while. Once it finishes, your open source cloud platform is up and running. You can now go to the OpenStack dashboard at: In order to obtain the password for the admin user, execute the following command: ``` $ sudo snap get microstack config.credentials.keystone-password ``` You can now use this password to sign in to the dashboard: So that’s it? For the installation – yes. But I hope this is just the beginning of your adventure with the world’s most popular open source cloud platform. ## **Learn more about the OpenStack cloud platform** Now, that you’ve got your open source cloud platform up and running, you might be wondering how to effectively use it. [Our series of tutorials](https://ubuntu.com/openstack/tutorials) for beginners will help you find answers to your questions and get up to speed with OpenStack quickly. Canonical also provides Charmed OpenStack – an enterprise cloud platform with flexible technology choices and rich lifecycle management capabilities. [Visit our website](https://ubuntu.com) to learn more about Charmed OpenStack, our consulting/support plans available to enterprise customers or [get in touch with Canonical](https://ubuntu.com/openstack/contact-us). You can also refer to the following materials for more information: * [An Introduction to OpenStack](https://ubuntu.com/engage/openstack-introduction) * [Free OpenStack e-book](https://ubuntu.com/engage/openstack-ebook-beginners) ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### OpenStack cloud – happy 15th anniversary!](https://canonical.com/blog/openstack-cloud-happy-15th-anniversary) Happy birthday, OpenStack! It’s astonishing how fast time flies – fifteen years already. Yet, here we are: OpenStack cloud still stands as a de facto standard for open source... [Tytus Kurek](https://canonical.com/blog/author/tkurek) 7 October 2025 [### Join Canonical at the first-ever African OpenInfra Days](https://canonical.com/blog/join-canonical-at-the-first-ever-african-openinfra-days) For the second time, and in less than one month, Canonical is coming to East Africa! Three weeks ago, we had the first-ever UbuCon Africa, which was co-located with DjangoCon... [Sharon Koech](https://canonical.com/blog/author/skoech) 2 September 2025 [### OpenStack PoC? No problem!](https://canonical.com/blog/openstack-poc) Setting up a proof of concept (PoC) environment is often one of the first steps in any IT project. It helps organizations to get to grips with the technology, validate the... [Tytus Kurek](https://canonical.com/blog/author/tkurek) 2 September 2025 [### OpenStack with Sunbeam for medium-scale cloud infrastructure](https://canonical.com/blog/openstack-with-sunbeam-for-medium-scale-cloud-infrastructure) The rapid growth in OpenStack installation and orchestration tools that we have seen in recent years has effectively established OpenStack as the world’s leading open source... [Tytus Kurek](https://canonical.com/blog/author/tkurek) 26 May 2025