lakeFS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is lakeFS open-source?
lakeFS is completely free, open-source, and licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. We maintain a public product roadmap and a Slack channel for open discussions.
2. How does lakeFS data versioning work?
lakeFS uses zero-copy branching to avoid data duplication. That is, creating a new branch is a metadata-only operation: no objects are actually copied. Only when an object changes does lakeFS create another version of the data in the storage. For more information, see Versioning internals.
3. How do I get support for my lakeFS installation?
We are extremely responsive on our Slack channel, and we make sure to prioritize the most pressing issues for the community. For SLA-based support, please contact us at support@treeverse.io.
4. Do you collect data from your active installations?
We collect anonymous usage statistics to understand the patterns of use and to detect product gaps we may have so we can fix them. This is optional and may be turned off by setting stats.enabled to false. See the configuration reference for more details.
The data we gather is limited to the following:
- A UUID which is generated when setting up lakeFS for the first time and contains no personal or otherwise identifiable information,
- The lakeFS version currently running,
- The OS and architecture lakeFS is running on,
- Metadata regarding the database used (version, installed extensions and parameters such as DB Timezone and work memory),
- Periodic aggregated action counters (e.g. how many “get_object” operations occurred).
5. How is lakeFS different from Delta Lake / Hudi / Iceberg?
Delta Lake, Apache Hudi, and Apache Iceberg all define dedicated, structured data formats that allow deletes and upserts. lakeFS is format-agnostic and enables consistent cross-collection versioning of your data using Git-like operations. Read our comparison for a more detailed comparison.
6. What inspired the lakeFS logo?
The Axolotl – a species of salamander, also known as the Mexican Lake Monster or the Peter Pan of the animal kingdom. It’s a magical creature, living in a lake - just like us! :)
