# VAST Data vs Netapp [Comparing Technical Capabilities]

**Topic:** Storage Architecture / Competitive

**Reading time:** 1 min

**Published:** August 13, 2021

**Updated:** October 6, 2026

Compare VAST Data and NetApp across deployment models, mixed workloads, cloud mobility, security, and scaling—then see where each platform meets, or falls short of, modern high-performance data infrastructure demands.

_This is a comparison snapshot from [A Buyer’s Guide to Modern Storage](/lp/the-buyers-guide-to-modern-storage/), by WEKA._

_Download the full guide [here ](/lp/the-buyers-guide-to-modern-storage/)and learn about, why legacy storage vendors are ineffective for modern data storage requirements, key Considerations for choosing modern storage, and comparison of NetApp, Isilon, Vast Data, DDN Lustre, and WEKA_

##   
VAST Data vs Netapp

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        "DEPLOYMENT MODELS",
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        "DATA TYPES",
        "File, Object",
        "Yes",
        "Yes"
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    },
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      "cells": [
        "MIXED WORKLOADS",
        "Efficiently perform large and small IOPS on the same filesystem*",
        "Read-Only",
        "No"
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        "CLOUD BURSTING",
        "Natively moving data to the cloud**",
        "No",
        "Yes"
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        "CLOUD EXTENSIBILITY",
        "Runs in the cloud same as on-premises. (deployment, management andfunctionality)",
        "No",
        "Yes"
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      "cells": [
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        "Ability to extend namespaces to Object Storage",
        "No",
        "No"
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        "MULTIPROTOCOL SUPPORT",
        "POSIX, NFS, SMB S3",
        "No",
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        "CONTAINER SUPPORT",
        "Works with CSI interface",
        "Yes",
        "Yes"
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        "SECURITY",
        "End-to-end encryption (in-flight and at rest)",
        "No",
        "No"
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        "Multi-tenancy (Ability to create multiple and separate namespaces withseparated management capabilities)",
        "No",
        "Yes"
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        "Support for ACLs",
        "Yes",
        "Yes"
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        "HARDWARE",
        "Running on off the shelf servers",
        "No",
        "No"
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        "Agnostic (Not tied to a specific hardware vendor)",
        "No",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
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      "_type": "tableRow",
      "cells": [
        "SCALING LIMITS",
        "1000’s of storage servers",
        "No",
        "No"
      ]
    },
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      "_type": "tableRow",
      "cells": [
        "",
        "1000’s of compute servers",
        "Yes",
        "Yes"
      ]
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        "Scale capacity and performance independently",
        "Yes",
        "Yes"
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        "Integrate different tiers such as flash and HDD",
        "No",
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```

*Same file system can accommodate maximum throughput and IOPS without a configuration requirement  
**Ability to move data between different on-premises and public cloud environments without the need of 3rd party data mover applications or back-up applications.

_Learn how [NeuralMesh ](/product/neuralmesh)eliminates GPU bottlenecks and delivers maximum performance for data-intensive AI workloads._

## What's Next

- [What is Data Reduction & What Are the Benefits?](/learn/data-reduction)
- [Software-Defined Storage: How It Works & Its Benefits](/learn/software-defined-storage)
- [What is Unstructured Data? Why Does It Matter?](/learn/unstructured-data)