MinIO has got some heavy licensing costs for commercial use. I was wondering if there is any object storage with an S3 API - ideally with a UI and something that could be run easily in a container.
Have you considered the Open-source version or MinIO? I know the AGPL-v3 is scary to many people but having to release the source code and your very unlikely patches under AGPLv3 doesn’t sound that bad.<p>Otherwise I played with garage and it was fine but it had no GUI and no configuration file to configure it when I tried it (you need to use the CLI). I would probably favour Ceph in production. Garage is a bit young.
If you're looking for an open-source alternative to MinIO for object storage, you might want to consider projects like Ceph and OpenIO. Ceph offers scalable and high-performance storage, while OpenIO focuses on an object storage solution with a decentralized approach. Both have active communities and can be suitable options depending on your specific requirements. It's worth exploring their features to see which aligns best with your needs.
MinIO is open-source, and like everything else that's open-source, you don't have to pay to use it commercially. Are you confused by what they call a "commercial license"? It's not necessary for commercial purposes; it's just their name for what the FSF calls "selling exceptions". As long as you comply with the AGPL, you don't need to buy it.