Case Study: DreamHost achieves scalable, automated, cost-effective cloud networking with Cumulus Networks

Enter the Era of Self-managing Networks with DreamHost and Cumulus Linux

DreamHost, a major web hosting and cloud provider serving hundreds of thousands of customers and powering over a million sites, needed greater speed, visibility, and a self-managing networking model to match its automated server workflows. The team aimed to achieve high performance and transparency, leverage existing automation tools rather than reinvent the stack, and avoid vendor lock-in while cutting operational complexity and cost.

By deploying Cumulus Linux in a 40G leaf/spine architecture and reusing familiar tools like Chef, Quagga and collectd, DreamHost gained Linux-level visibility, simplified licensing, and broad hardware choice—reducing hardware and optics costs substantially. The result was faster, automated deployments, improved network transparency and performance, and significant CAPEX/OPEX savings, enabling DreamHost to scale its network confidently with a self-managing model.

DreamHost

Jonathan LaCour

VP Product and Development, DreamHost