Lightbits Labs
Terms related to simplyblock
Lightbits Labs is a software-defined storage (SDS) company that delivers disaggregated block storage using the NVMe over TCP protocol. The platform allows organizations to decouple compute and storage using standard Ethernet infrastructure, achieving performance comparable to local NVMe drives without relying on specialized hardware like RDMA or Fibre Channel.
Lightbits is commonly used in private cloud, VMware, and Kubernetes environments that require low-latency, scalable, and efficient block storage. It is one of the original contributors to bringing NVMe/TCP to production in enterprise workloads.
How Does Lightbits Labs Work?
Lightbits Labs provides a storage stack called LightOS that enables centralized NVMe-over-TCP storage services over IP networks. It allows compute nodes to connect to remote storage with near-local performance.
The platform includes data services such as inline compression, thin provisioning, replication, and high availability. It integrates with Kubernetes using a CSI driver and supports orchestration tools like OpenStack and virtualization platforms like VMware.
Unlike legacy SAN systems, Lightbits is built around NVMe/TCP, a fabric-agnostic protocol that runs efficiently over standard Ethernet. This makes it ideal for high-throughput workloads running in containerized and virtualized environments.
Simplyblock’s technology architecture follows a similar fabric-agnostic approach but uses a distributed model for greater flexibility and scale.
Key Features
Lightbits Labs offers a number of features designed for performance-critical infrastructure:
- NVMe-over-TCP storage access on standard Ethernet
- Disaggregated architecture decoupling compute and storage
- Inline compression to reduce data footprint
- Thin provisioning for space efficiency
- Snapshots and replication for backup and disaster recovery
- Kubernetes integration via CSI for dynamic provisioning
- Compatibility with VMware and OpenStack
- Hardware-agnostic design using standard x86 servers
For teams focused on cloud-native environments, Simplyblock’s CSI and snapshot support offers similar functionality with a distributed, scalable foundation.
Lightbits Labs vs Simplyblock
While Lightbits Labs offers centralized NVMe/TCP storage for enterprise data centers, Simplyblock extends this concept with a fully distributed SDS platform, built for hybrid cloud, edge, and Kubernetes-native environments.
| Feature | Lightbits Labs | Simplyblock |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Centralized NVMe/TCP | Distributed NVMe/TCP (shared-everything) |
| Data Protection | RAID + replication | Erasure coding |
| Kubernetes Integration | CSI driver | Kubernetes-native with full snapshot support |
| Cloud & Edge Support | Limited | Full hybrid, edge, and air-gapped support |
| Storage Efficiency | Thin provisioning, compression | Thin provisioning + erasure coding |
| Hardware Requirements | x86 servers with LightOS | Open x86 infrastructure |
Looking for an Alternative?
Lightbits Labs introduced NVMe/TCP to the enterprise market and provides a solid disaggregated storage solution. However, Simplyblock takes this further by combining distributed architecture, erasure coding, and full Kubernetes-native integration.
Simplyblock reduces replication overhead while maintaining high availability. It also supports edge deployments, air-gapped environments, and cloud-native automation — making it ideal for teams seeking performance, resilience, and cost efficiency.
If you’re modernizing your infrastructure and need scalable block storage with advanced operational simplicity, Simplyblock is a high-performance alternative to Lightbits Labs.
Explore more Simplyblock insights:
- NVMe over TCP vs iSCSI
- Distributed Storage Systems
- Scale-out Architecture
- Advanced Erasure Coding
- Simplyblock vs Ceph
External Resources
- Lightbits Labs Official Website
- NVMe over TCP – Wikipedia
- LightOS Technical Documentation
- NVM Express – NVMe-oF
Questions and Answers
Lightbits Labs delivers a high-performance block storage platform designed around NVMe over TCP, enabling low-latency, disaggregated storage using standard Ethernet networks. It’s ideal for organizations seeking cloud-like storage speed with on-prem control.
Lightbits pioneered NVMe over TCP to enable high-speed storage access over existing network infrastructure. This allows disaggregated storage with performance close to local NVMe drives, making it an ideal fit for Kubernetes storage optimization.
Yes, Lightbits supports Kubernetes with CSI integration, enabling dynamic provisioning of volumes. Like Simplyblock, their approach aligns with cloud-native patterns for scalable, persistent block storage in distributed environments.
Lightbits offers a proprietary, performance-optimized NVMe over TCP stack, while software-defined storage providers like Simplyblock offer open and flexible platforms with Kubernetes-first designs and native multi-tenant support.
Lightbits provides data protection features, but storage-level encryption at rest and fine-grained key management are essential for securing multi-tenant and regulated workloads—something to consider when comparing vendor solutions.