Pricing
Capacity-Based Infrastructure Licensing
One predictable line item per cluster. Basalt prices infrastructure capacity instead of charging for every socket, CPU, or VM you deploy.
Everything Included
Every Basalt license includes the complete platform. Compute, SDN, storage orchestration, security, operations, intelligence, and federation are licensed together instead of carved into add-on products or feature tiers.
Compute
KVM/libvirt VM lifecycle management, live migration, image templates, cloud-init customization, browser console access, GPU passthrough, and hot-plug operations.
Networking
OVS-native SDN with VLAN, flat, and VXLAN zones; OpenFlow security groups; and managed L3 routers with BGP, OSPF, NAT, and tenant-aware routing.
Storage
Multi-backend pools for dir, LVM, NFS, iSCSI, GlusterFS, Ceph RBD, and DRBD, plus Ceph cluster orchestration for production storage domains.
Security
Postgres RLS multi-tenancy, FIPS 140-3 cryptography via aws-lc-rs, zero-trust agent identity, resource activation leases, and roughly 200 RBAC permissions.
Operations
A durable task system, built-in metrics, alerts, audit logging across 50+ event types, maintenance mode, and bootc operating-system updates.
Intelligence
MCP server integration for AI agents, pool-capabilities reasoning for placement decisions, and manifest-driven self-healing workflows.
Federation
Multi-region and multi-cluster operation through the optional global-controller appliance without changing the feature set available to each licensed cluster.
For a technical view of the complete platform, see the complete platform architecture.
How Capacity Licensing Works
Per cluster
Licensing is scoped to each cluster and mapped to compute capacity. It is not metered per socket, per CPU, per core, or per VM.
One predictable line item
Networking, storage, security, monitoring, automation, MCP integration, and updates are included in the platform license instead of billed as hidden add-ons.
Scales with the environment
Capacity can grow as the cluster grows, so dense hardware and efficient consolidation work for the operator instead of against the budget.
Capacity vs. Per-Socket — A Structural Comparison
Per-socket model
Hardware density becomes a pricing event
Per-socket licensing ties cost to the CPU package instead of the infrastructure service being delivered. Modern high-core-count CPUs can be penalized even when consolidation reduces the operational footprint.
The base hypervisor price is often only the start: SDN, distributed security, storage, automation, and operational visibility can appear as separate products or tiers.
Basalt capacity model
Capacity is the planning unit
Basalt aligns licensing to the cluster capacity you operate. The commercial model follows the environment rather than the socket count, CPU generation, or number of virtual machines created by tenants.
The complete platform ships together: OVS SDN, Ceph orchestration, security controls, task automation, monitoring, audit, and MCP integration are not unlocked by separate feature licenses.
Deployment Formats
The same licensed platform is available in formats that match evaluation, production, and custom operating models. There is no separate community edition with enterprise-only infrastructure features withheld.
VM appliance
qcow2 images for evaluations, labs, and small deployments that need a fast path to first cluster.
Bare-metal ISO
Installable media for production hosts where the control plane and managed infrastructure run directly on hardware.
RPM packages
Packages for custom installations that need to integrate Basalt components with an existing OS lifecycle.
bootc OCI images
Atomic operating-system updates with rollback so host updates are repeatable operational workflows.
Pricing FAQ
How is licensing calculated?
Basalt is licensed per cluster based on compute capacity. The model is intentionally not tied to sockets, CPU SKUs, core counts, or VM inventory, so architecture decisions do not create a second licensing exercise.
Are networking, storage, security, or automation features separate add-ons?
No. Every license includes the full platform: KVM/libvirt compute, OVS-native SDN, multi-backend storage orchestration, Ceph management, MCP integration, monitoring, tasks, audit, and security controls. There is no community-versus-enterprise split or per-feature tiering.
What deployment formats are available?
Basalt can be delivered as a qcow2 VM appliance for evaluation and small deployments, a bare-metal ISO for production, RPM packages for custom installations, and bootc OCI images for atomic OS updates with rollback.
Can I start small and scale?
Yes. Start with an evaluation or small production cluster, then expand licensed capacity as the deployment grows. The same platform capabilities remain available as capacity increases.
What about support?
Licenses include platform updates and documentation. Production support options can be matched to operational requirements, response expectations, and the deployment format you choose.
Plan your cluster
Bring your capacity targets, current VMware or OpenStack costs, and deployment constraints. We'll help map the Basalt licensing model to your environment and produce a structure your technical and procurement teams can review together.