TrueNAS Core versus TrueNAS Scale

TrueNAS, the open source NAS operating system for storing, backing up and managing data, is available in three main versions: TrueNAS CORE, TrueNAS SCALE and TrueNAS ENTERPRISE.

TrueNAS CORE and TrueNAS SCALE are open source and free to use. TrueNAS CORE is based on FreeBSD and offers classic NAS functions. TrueNAS SCALE, on the other hand, is based on Debian Linux and is characterized by advanced features such as integrated virtualization using KVM and support for Linux containers.

This modern architecture enables greater flexibility and scalability, making TrueNAS SCALE particularly suitable for current and future requirements.

Functionality	TrueNAS CORE	TrueNAS SCALE
Operating system basis	FreeBSD	Debian Linux
File system	ZFS (OpenZFS)	ZFS (OpenZFS)
Supported hardware	FreeBSD compatible third-party hardware	Debian compatible third-party hardware
Enclosure management	IPMI Remote Management	IPMI Remote Management
Deployment services	Self / Starline	Self / Starline
Network protocols	SMB, AFP, NFS, iSCSI, WebDAV	SMB, AFP, NFS, iSCSI, WebDAV, S3
Object protocols	/	S3-kompatible API, Minio-Clustering, Multitenancy, Cloud Sync
Virtualization containers	Jails (BSD-based),limited Docker support via plugins	Built-in KVM, Docker
Storage pool management	Extensive ZFS options, snapshots	Extensive ZFS options, snapshots
Community support	TrueNAS CORE Forum	TrueNAS SCALE Forum
Support	In-house	In-house
Use cases	Traditional NAS, media server, backup	NAS with containerization, virtualization and scale-out for applications

How to upgrade TrueNAS CORE to TrueNAS SCALE

Please note: Migration from TrueNAS CORE to TrueNAS SCALE is a non-reversible process.

Update your CORE system to the latest publicly available version before attempting to migrate from CORE to SCALE. See Software Releases for the current recommended update paths.

In the TrueNAS GUI, click System / Update
Select TrueNAS-13.0-STABLE

3. follow the instructions on the screen.

You can find further help on migration in the Documentation Hub.

Further TrueNAS topics

Drive options for TrueNAS

ATA, SCSI, SATA, SAS, NL-SAS, SSD, PFP, 512n, 4Kn: Confusing shortcuts, drive parameters and options for ZFS at a glance.

How to install TrueNAS CORE

Step-by-step instructions for the installation and initial configuration of a TrueNAS CORE Storage Server.

Backup log files under TrueNAS

Log files are important protocols to maintain. Here are instructions on how to save these log files under TrueNAS CORE.

TrueNAS and OpenZFS

In the first part of our series about FreeNAS, we will show you the main components of the attractive storage operating system.

Any questions?

Our open source team will be happy to help!

Enterprise Storage Solutions Team

Technik

Our experts are of course also experts in Linux, Ceph and ZFS