Replacing MinIO with ObjeX: A Self-Hosted S3 Alternative

Description and use

Centro Labs successfully replaced MinIO with ObjeX, a lightweight, self-hosted S3-compatible storage solution. ObjeX runs as a single binary with SQLite, supports standard S3 clients (aws-cli, boto3, rclone), and serves as the backend for their Outline and Memos instances. It simplifies infrastructure by removing the need for distributed storage features that were not required.

Problem

MinIO, previously the default self-hosted S3-compatible storage solution, was archived and entered maintenance mode, leaving users without active development or support for their infrastructure.

Outcome

Centro Labs successfully replaced MinIO with ObjeX, a lightweight, self-hosted S3-compatible storage solution. ObjeX runs as a single binary with SQLite, supports standard S3 clients (aws-cli, boto3, rclone), and serves as the backend for their Outline and Memos instances. It simplifies infrastructure by removing the need for distributed storage features that were not required.

Workflow

• Identify the need for a maintained S3-compatible storage after MinIO's archival.
• Evaluate requirements: single-server, S3 API, no external dependencies (Redis/Kafka).
• Build ObjeX using .NET 10 and Blazor Server for the UI.
• Implement core S3 operations: bucket/object CRUD, multipart upload, presigned URLs.
• Implement AWS Signature V4 authentication from scratch.
• Deploy using Docker with a single volume for data persistence.
• Integrate with existing tools like Outline and Memos using standard AWS SDKs.

Evidence

In February 2026, the minio/minio repository was archived. Read-only. No PRs, no issues, no contributions.

Source

ObjeX currently serves as the S3 backend for our Outline and Memos instances. Both use presigned URLs and server-side uploads through the standard AWS SDKs, no special configuration needed.

Source

One binary, one SQLite file, no external services required. No Redis, no Kafka, no separate database server.

Source