IPMI vs. Redfish: A Technical Selection Guide for White-Label Server Management

As white-label servers continue to gain traction among cloud providers, system integrators, and enterprise infrastructure builders, remote management capabilities have become a core evaluation item—not an optional add-on.

Two technologies dominate the landscape today: IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) and Redfish, each offering distinct advantages depending on the use case, cost structure, and integration depth.

At Shenzhen Angxun Technology Co., Ltd., with 24 years of OEM/ODM experience in server and industrial hardware platforms, we help customers choose the right out-of-band management solution based on engineering, budget, and long-term support considerations. This guide summarizes the key differences and provides actionable selection recommendations.

1. What Is IPMI? The Legacy Standard That Still Works

For more than 20 years, IPMI has been the backbone of server management across data centers worldwide.

Core Capabilities

• Remote power on/off/reset

• Sensor monitoring (temperature, voltage, fan speed)

• KVM-over-IP

• Event logs and alerts

• Firmware updates

Strengths

✔ Widely supported across legacy and current platforms

✔ Lower implementation cost

✔ Mature ecosystem with predictable behavior

✔ Ideal for simple, stable, cost-sensitive deployments

Limitations

• Based on older protocols (RMCP/RMCP+)

• Non-RESTful and less developer-friendly

• Limited extensibility for modern cloud automation

• UI/UX varies significantly across BMC vendors

• Not designed with modern security standards in mind

For many industrial, SMB, and embedded server applications, however, IPMI remains reliable, simple, and cost-efficient.

2. What Is Redfish? The Modern API-Driven Management Standard

Developed by the DMTF, Redfish is a next-generation server management framework built on modern web technologies.

Key Features

• RESTful API with JSON data format

• Secure by default (HTTPS/TLS, role-based access control)

• Standardized schemas for compute, storage, and networking

• Scalable automation through DevOps tools

• Designed for cloud-scale orchestration

Advantages

✔ Cloud-friendly (works with Ansible, Terraform, Kubernetes operators)

✔ Strong security architecture

✔ Consistent API schemas across vendors

✔ Better long-term extensibility and firmware lifecycle management

✔ Easier integration into modern observability platforms

Challenges

• Higher implementation cost for OEM/ODM

• Requires stronger BMC performance and software ecosystem

• Learning curve for teams accustomed to IPMI workflows

For enterprises targeting cloud-native infrastructure, Redfish is rapidly becoming the preferred choice.

3. IPMI vs. Redfish: Feature-by-Feature Comparison

4. Which Should You Choose? Practical Scenarios

Choose IPMI If:

• You’re building cost-sensitive white-label servers

• Management needs are basic and stable

• Deployment involves traditional data centers or industrial PCs

• Legacy tooling must be maintained

• KVM/IPMI features are already standardized in your ecosystem

Choose Redfish If:

• You’re building cloud-native infrastructure

• Automation and orchestration are top priorities

• Security compliance is mandatory (finance, government, telecom)

• You require modern software-defined datacenter capabilities

• Infrastructure is scaling beyond thousands of nodes

Hybrid Strategy

Many modern BMCs support both IPMI and Redfish, enabling gradual migration. This is often the best choice for integrators who want modern APIs without losing compatibility.

5. How Angxun Helps Customers Choose the Right Management Stack

With a 50+ R&D engineer team and extensive OEM/ODM experience, Angxun not only manufactures server-grade motherboards but also provides BMC, BIOS, and system-level integration consulting.

Our hardware engineering advantages include:

• Advanced thermal materials with aluminum cooling baseplates

• All-solid capacitors for long service life

• Reinforced PCB copper layers for stable power delivery

• Independent CPU power supply modules

• Zero-burning protection circuits

• Dual safety voltage/current stabilization

Our factory capabilities:

• 10,000 m² modern facility

• 500+ engineering and production staff

• Five SMT production lines

• PREVIOUS：How to Build a Zero-Risk Server Firmware Update Pipeline for Large-Scale Deployments NEXT：Where to Splurge and Where to Save: Cost-Benefit Analysis of Server Motherboard Components (2025 Guide)