MinIO Object Browser: Removal of Management Features

In May 2025, MinIO, Inc. released version 2.0 of its Object Browser, a web-based graphical interface for managing object storage. This update removed many previously free management features, leaving only basic browsing capabilities.

This update was rolled out without prior announcement or community discussion, leading to surprise and concern among users who had come to rely on the full feature set. Advanced functionalities were deprecated and redirected to the command-line interface (mc) or moved behind a commercial paywall, sparking community concerns.

Background

MinIO is a high-performance, distributed object storage system designed for large-scale data storage and management. It is widely used for cloud-native applications, data analytics, and backup and archiving. MinIO is known for its S3-compatibility, making it easy to integrate with existing cloud infrastructure. The MinIO Object Browser is a web-based graphical interface that allows users to manage their MinIO deployments through a user-friendly interface. Prior to version 2.0, the Object Browser provided a comprehensive set of features for managing buckets, users, policies, and configurations.

Removal of Management Features in Object Browser 2.0

In May 2025, MinIO released version 2.0 of its Object Browser, which significantly reduced the functionality of the web-based interface.

The update removed key management features, including:

• Account and policy management
• Configuration management
• Bucket management

These features were previously accessible through the Object Browser's UI but now require the use of the mc command-line client or a paid upgrade to MinIO's commercial offerings. The changes were implemented via GitHub Pull Request #3509. The official release notes framed the update as a simplification, but critics argued that it effectively limited the utility of the free version.

MinIO's Response

MinIO, Inc. stated that the removal of management features was necessary due to maintenance challenges and security concerns. The company argued that maintaining separate graphical consoles for the community and commercial branches was unsustainable, and cited past vulnerabilities in the admin UI as a reason to prioritize security by removing unmaintained features .

However, MinIO’s commercial pricing has been widely criticized as excessively high. The entry-level commercial offering, AiStor, starts at $96,000 per year for a platform fee, covering up to 400 TiB of storage. This makes self-hosting MinIO more expensive than using Amazon S3 itself for many users, especially those with smaller storage needs. There are no lower-cost or tiered options, effectively pricing out small businesses and individual users.

In addition to the high cost, MinIO has been criticized for its handling of community feedback. After the release of Object Browser 2.0, users raised concerns and objections in GitHub issues and pull requests. Instead of engaging in open discussion, MinIO maintainers have closed and locked threads where the feature removal is discussed, effectively silencing community concerns. For example, in GitHub Issue #3544, a user wrote:

"This dreadful PR forces users to pay for a license by removing all the useful features. It’s outrageous - no technical considerations justify this decision; it’s purely greed and an abuse of the OSS model. Please either revert this ASAP or explain your reasoning with clear arguments rather than blocking responses."

This issue, like others, was quickly closed and locked, preventing further discussion. Similar patterns have been observed across other issues and pull requests related to the feature removal, with maintainers providing minimal explanation and then restricting conversation.

While MinIO has stated they are open to community contributions for developing an alternative management UI, their actions—disregarding prior community contributions and shutting down discussion—have raised questions about their commitment to open-source principles and community collaboration.

The absence of prior communication or community consultation raised questions about the transparency of the decision-making process.

Consumer response

The removal of management features from the MinIO Object Browser has generated significant criticism and concern within the MinIO user community, exacerbated by the fact that these changes were implemented without prior notice or community consultation. Users have expressed frustration over the loss of functionality and the increased complexity of managing MinIO deployments via the command-line. Some users have explored alternative S3-compatible solutions with management UIs, while others have forked the last version of the Object Browser before the changes.

Lawsuit

At present, there are no known lawsuits directly related to the changes implemented in Object Browser version 2.0. The matter remains largely confined to community discourse and debates about open-source licensing and commercial strategy.