Benefits of OpenShift over Vanilla Kubernetes

For Developers

Speed of Development

• OpenShift facilitates faster development, especially in creating and building cloud-native applications (containers).
• Source-to-Image (S2I):
  • Automates code to container image creation.
  • Steps:
    1. Developer writes code and commits to a git repository.
    2. S2I analyzes the code to recognize the language (Java, Python, etc.).
    3. Selects an appropriate base image from a catalog.
    4. Combines code with the base image to create a new image.
    5. Pushes the new image to a registry and deploys it.
  • Benefits for new developers unfamiliar with container scripting.

Easy Networking

• Simplifies networking using Routes:
  • Provides easy-to-read URLs for deployed applications.
  • Integrates with external load balancers, offering different options.
  • Avoids the complexities of Kubernetes networking.

For IT Operations

Day Two Operations Automation

• Installs and Updates:
  • Automates installation and updates for both OpenShift and the underlying OS (RHEL).
  • Ensures compatibility between the operating system version and OpenShift.
• Cluster Scaling:
  • Automatically adjusts cluster size based on needs.

Multi-Cloud Management

• Built-in tools for managing multiple clusters across different clouds (public/private).
  • Simplifies multi-cloud environments management.

Security

• Guard Rails:
  • Prevents risky actions such as running privileged containers or using default namespaces.
  • Ensures non-privileged containers and non-default namespaces in production.
• Security Profiles:
  • Users choose security context constraint profiles.
  • Profiles handle security settings, eliminating the need to configure individual parameters.

Conclusion

• OpenShift provides significant advantages for both developers and IT operations beyond what vanilla Kubernetes offers.
• Enhances development speed, simplifies networking, manages operations efficiently, and ensures better security.