June 25th, 2025 – Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, and Pure Storage, the IT pioneer delivering enterprise-grade all-flash storage, have partnered to introduce a native integration between LXD and Pure Storage FlashArray. This collaboration allows organizations to combine open source virtualization with industry-leading block storage to achieve unmatched performance, simplicity, and reliability for their infrastructure deployments, whether using just LXD or a full Canonical MicroCloud. LXD supports the Pure Storage API version of at least 2.21, corresponding to Purity//FA version 6.4.2 or above.

High-performance virtualization with Pure Storage FlashArray

Pure Storage FlashArray delivers consistently low latency, high IOPS (input/output operations per second), and millisecond response times, ideal for latency and performance-sensitive LXD workloads. With native integration, LXD environments can take full advantage of a FlashArray system’s high throughput without needing third-party plugins or additional abstraction layers. This direct access ensures optimal efficiency and performance across all virtualized workloads. 

Integrated enterprise features at your fingerprints

The integration enables LXD to natively use the advanced capabilities of FlashArray, such as instant, space-efficient snapshots, directly from the LXD user interface, command line, or API. Administrators can manage storage operations in a unified workflow without leaving the LXD environment, simplifying day-to-day tasks and reducing operational overhead.

Simple, scalable, and non-disruptive growth

FlashArray systems are founded on Evergreen architecture that enables non-disruptive upgrades and effortless scalability, aligning perfectly with LXD’s lightweight approach. As infrastructure demands grow, new volumes can be provisioned instantly from within LXD, with no downtime, reconfiguration or impact to running workloads.

“The integration of Pure Storage FlashArray with Canonical LXD delivers enterprise-grade storage performance directly to containerized workloads. By supporting both iSCSI and NVMe/TCP protocols, organizations can now leverage Pure Storage’s sub-millisecond latency and data reduction technologies within LXD’s unified platform. This partnership accelerates digital transformation by combining the storage performance mission-critical applications require with the simplicity both Pure Storage and Canonical deliver.”  Simon Dodsley, Technical Strategy Director, Pure Storage  

Data efficiency and enterprise resilience

FlashArray offers industry-leading data reduction through always-on inline deduplication and compression, maximizing usable capacity while reducing footprint and cost. Combined with its 99.9999% availability, native encryption, and ransomware recovery features, FlashArray enhances the resilience and efficiency of LXD deployments. Together, Canonical and Pure Storage provide a tightly integrated, enterprise-ready solution backed by world-class support. 

“This collaboration with Pure Storage is a natural extension of Canonical’s commitment to deliver high-performance, easy-to-manage infrastructure for modern workloads,” said Regis Paquette, VP of Global Alliances and Channels at Canonical. “With FlashArray natively integrated into LXD and MicroCloud environments, organizations can now unlock the full value of open-source virtualization with enterprise-grade storage reliability and performance.”

Want to learn more about LXD and Pure Storage?

Access our documentation for more information. 

About Canonical

Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, provides open source security, support, and services. Our portfolio covers critical systems, from the smallest devices to the largest clouds, from the kernel to containers, from databases to AI. With customers that include top tech brands, emerging startups, governments, and home users, Canonical delivers trusted open source for everyone. 

Learn more at https://canonical.com/