TrueNAS facts for kids

TrueNAS is a special computer system for storing and sharing files over a network. It's like a super smart hard drive that many computers can connect to at once. This system is made by a company called iXsystems.

TrueNAS uses a powerful file system called OpenZFS to keep your data safe and organized. It comes in different versions. Some versions are free for anyone to use, while others are made for businesses. TrueNAS can run on computers that use either FreeBSD or Linux operating systems.

It works with many different types of computers, including those running Windows, macOS, and Unix. It also supports various ways to share files, like SMB for Windows and NFS for Linux. TrueNAS can even encrypt, or scramble, your entire disk to protect your information. It also lets you add extra programs, called plug-ins, to do more things.

TrueNAS Core and TrueNAS Enterprise are based on FreeBSD. TrueNAS Scale is a version of TrueNAS Core that uses Debian Gnu/Linux.

How TrueNAS Started

The TrueNAS story began in October 2005 with a project called FreeNAS. A person named Olivier Cochard-Labbé started it. It was built using FreeBSD, a type of computer operating system.

Over time, the project grew and changed. In 2009, there was a plan to update FreeNAS to add new features. Some developers decided to create a new version based on Linux. However, the community wanted to keep the original FreeBSD version.

So, the FreeNAS project was taken over by iXsystems. They completely rewrote FreeNAS to make it better and faster. They released FreeNAS 8 Beta in 2010. New features like full-disk encryption and a better plug-in system were added in later versions.

In March 2020, iXsystems announced a big change. They decided to combine FreeNAS with their business version, TrueNAS. FreeNAS became known as TrueNAS CORE, and the business version became TrueNAS Enterprise. This change happened with the release of TrueNAS 12.0 in October 2020.

Later in October 2020, iXsystems also announced a brand new product called TrueNAS SCALE. This version would still use ZFS for storage but would be based on Debian Linux. TrueNAS SCALE became widely available in February 2022. In May 2022, TrueNAS CORE, the FreeBSD version, was also ready for large-scale use.

How TrueNAS Works Inside

The way FreeNAS was built changed a lot over time. The 8.0 version moved from an older system to one based on FreeBSD. It started using the Python programming language and a web framework called Django.

At first, it used a web server called lighttpd. But this was later changed to nginx in FreeNAS 8.2. Newer versions, like FreeNAS 11, introduced a new user interface built with Angular.

TrueNAS Awards and Recognition

TrueNAS has won several awards and been recognized for its technology:

• VMware — "Ultimate Virtual Appliance Challenge, Consumer"
• Sourceforge.net — Project of the Month, January 2007
• InfoWorld — Best of open source in storage
• MES Matters 2022 — Key Vendors Serving the Mid-Market
• Best In Biz Award — Most Innovative Product Line of the Year
• Tech Target Storage Magazine Gold Award — Asigra TrueNAS Backup Appliance
• Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice 2023 for TrueNAS Enterprise
• TrueNAS recognized as a Digital Public Good in 2023

See Also

In Spanish: TrueNAS para niños