Is Your ZFS NAS Actually Running OpenZFS?
TrueNAS, Friday, October 2nd, 2026
TrueNAS warns that proprietary ZFS forks can change the on-disk format and lock data to one vendor's hardware.
TrueNAS argues that ZFS's value lies in its openness: data written with OpenZFS can be read on any system running OpenZFS, regardless of vendor.
Some vendors ship proprietary ZFS forks they describe as equivalent, but any deviation from the on-disk format can tie data to specific hardware or a vendor that is hard to replace.
The post explains where these differences tend to surface and why buyers should check what their NAS actually runs.