As businesses adopt containerisation to build scalable, reliable apps, there is a debate. It is between two players: Kubernetes and OpenShift. Both platforms can orchestrate containerised apps. But they serve different purposes and business needs.
"Kubernetes is the mighty maestro of container management, wielding open-source prowess. Renowned for its remarkable flexibility and boundless extensibility, it orchestrates seamless operations across digital landscapes." It lets organisations deploy, scale, and manage containerised workloads with little manual work. On the other hand, OpenShift improves Kubernetes. It offers a complete PaaS solution. OpenShift is built on Kubernetes. It adds enterprise features, tools, and a user-friendly interface. This simplifies deployment and management.
This blog will compare Kubernetes and OpenShift. It will cover their use cases and help you choose the right platform for your business.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes, affectionately known as K8s, is the maestro of automation. This open-source symphony orchestrates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerised applications. K8s was originally conjured by Google. It was then gifted to the CNCF. It is now the industry standard for container orchestration. It forms the backbone of many cloud-native infrastructures.
Kubernetes provides a framework for managing distributed apps at scale. It eliminates many manual tasks in deploying and maintaining them. This allows organisations to be more reliable, efficient, and scalable.
Key Features of Kubernetes
Scalability: Kubernetes excels in dynamically adjusting resources based on application demand.
- Applications can scale in two ways. They can scale horizontally by adding more pods. Or, they can scale vertically by increasing resources for existing pods.
- Businesses can handle traffic spikes without downtime, ensuring seamless user experiences.
Self-Healing Kubernetes keeps applications running, even if failures occur.
- It automatically restarts failed containers.
- It replaces unhealthy nodes and redistributes workloads to ensure high availability.
Kubernetes simplifies networking with strong service discovery and load balancing.
- Traffic is routed only to healthy pods.
- Built-in load balancing optimises application performance and ensures fault tolerance.
Automation in Kubernetes automates routine tasks that traditionally require manual intervention.
- Deployments and Rollbacks: Update apps with no downtime. Roll back if issues occur.
- Resource Management: Automatically allocates resources for efficient utilisation.
Kubernetes: The industry standard
People credit Kubernetes' popularity to its flexibility and strong community support. It is the core tech for many managed platforms. These include Amazon EKS, Google GKE, and Microsoft AKS. In-house DevOps teams often choose Kubernetes. It integrates with third-party tools and adapts to complex workflows. Its ability to do this is unmatched.
Kubernetes is not just a tool. It is a framework for building modern, scalable, and resilient apps. Its open-source nature requires expertise in setup and management. This can challenge smaller teams or organisations without strong DevOps experience. This is where platforms like OpenShift come in. They offer better usability and enterprise-grade features.
What is OpenShift?
OpenShift, developed by Red Hat, is a strong app platform. It simplifies the deployment, scaling, and management of containerised apps. OpenShift is built on Kubernetes. It enhances Kubernetes' container orchestration with tools, features, and enterprise-grade upgrades. It is often called a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). It provides a complete ecosystem for developing, deploying, and managing apps. It requires little manual work.
OpenShift is more opinionated than Kubernetes. It comes pre-configured with tools and best practices. This reduces the complexity of setting up and managing Kubernetes clusters. This appeals to organisations that prioritise ease of use, security, and enterprise-level support.
Key Features of OpenShift
1. Integrated Developer Tools
OpenShift has a suite of tools to boost developer productivity. It's a standout feature.
- User-Friendly Interface: OpenShift has an intuitive web dashboard. It simplifies cluster management, making it accessible to users without advanced Kubernetes knowledge.
- OpenShift has built-in CI/CD pipelines. They automate the build, testing, and deployment processes.
- Source-to-Image (S2I): A unique feature. It lets developers create container images from their source code. It streamlines the development workflow.
2. Enterprise Security
OpenShift prioritises security, making it ideal for compliance-focused organisations.
- Enhanced Security Policies: OpenShift now has stricter security settings by default. For example, it limits access to privileged containers.
- Compliance Features: The platform has tools for auditing and monitoring. They ensure it meets industry regulations, like GDPR and HIPAA.
- Integrated Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) controls access to resources in the cluster. It manages who can access and manage them.
3. Managed Services
OpenShift simplifies Kubernetes cluster management. It automates several tasks. This reduces the burden on DevOps teams.
- Cluster Automation: Handles upgrades, patches, and other maintenance tasks with minimal downtime.
- Monitoring and Logging: It has tools for real-time monitoring and centralised logging. They help teams find and fix issues quickly.
- Networking Enhancements: It has advanced features like OpenShift Service Mesh. It simplifies inter-service communication.
4. Support for Multiple Environments
OpenShift's flexible deployment options suit many use cases.
- OpenShift Container Platform: A self-managed version that organisations can deploy on their infrastructure.
- OpenShift Online: A cloud-hosted version managed by Red Hat. It's ideal for businesses seeking a hands-off approach.
- OpenShift Dedicated: A cloud-based, managed service for enterprises requiring additional control and customisation.
Why do businesses choose OpenShift?
OpenShift aims to help businesses adopt Kubernetes. It offers a ready-to-use solution with pre-configured tools and best practices. Its focus on developer productivity, security, and management makes it attractive to enterprises. This is especially true for those in regulated industries or new to orchestration.
OpenShift offers flexibility and scalability. It has enterprise-grade support. It can meet your needs, whether you want a fully managed service or to deploy on your own infrastructure.
Key Differences Between OpenShift and Kubernetes
Aspect
Kubernetes
OpenShift
Nature
Open-source container orchestration platforms.
PaaS solution built on Kubernetes with additional enterprise features.
Ease of Use
Requires manual setup and configuration.
Provides a more opinionated and user-friendly experience with pre-configured tools.
Integrated Tools
Focuses on container orchestration only; additional tools need to be integrated manually.
Comes with built-in developer tools like CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and logging.
Security
Provides basic security features like Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
Includes advanced security features such as S2I (Source-to-Image), stricter default policies, and compliance.
Updates and Support
Community-driven updates require manual integration of new features.
Fully managed updates with enterprise-grade Red Hat support.
Cost
Open-source and free to use, but infrastructure and additional tools can add costs.
Requires a subscription for Red Hat’s enterprise support and services.
Web Interface
Kubernetes Dashboard is available but not included by default.
Provides a fully integrated and intuitive web console for managing clusters and applications.
Networking
Allows multiple networking solutions, like Calico, Flannel, or Weave.
Uses OpenShift-SDN and supports other network plugins with stricter configuration guidelines.
Container Registry
Requires an external container registry, like Docker Hub or a custom solution.
Comes with an integrated container registry (Red Hat Quay).
Similarities between OpenShift and Kubernetes.
OpenShift and Kubernetes differ, but they have much in common. OpenShift is built on Kubernetes.
- Container Orchestration: Both platforms manage containerised apps. They handle tasks like scaling, deployment, and self-healing.
- Pods: Both use pods as the smallest deployable units.
- Scalability: Enable dynamic scaling of applications based on resource demand.
- Portability: Both support running containers on any infrastructure—cloud, on-premises, or hybrid environments.
Advantages of Kubernetes
- Flexibility: It has a modular system. Users can choose their preferred tools and plug-ins.
- Cost: Kubernetes is open-source and free to use. But, infra and extra tools may cost.
- Wide Adoption: A vast ecosystem and a strong open-source community back it.
- Multi-Cloud Compatibility: Can be deployed across various cloud providers and on-premises environments.
Advantages of OpenShift
- Enterprise-Grade Features: It has pre-integrated tools, strong security, and compliance features for enterprises.
- Ease of Use: OpenShift's opinionated design reduces complexity. It makes it easier for teams to manage.
- Red Hat Support: It has got professional support for urgent help.
- Built-in CI/CD: Integrated CI/CD pipelines can speed up development.
How to Choose Between OpenShift and Kubernetes
Business size and expertise:
- SMBs with in-house DevOps may prefer Kubernetes for its flexibility and lower costs.
- Enterprises with larger teams and stringent compliance needs may opt for OpenShift.
Deployment Complexity:
- Kubernetes is a great choice if your team can manage its clusters and set up third-party tools.
- If ease of use and out-of-the-box features are priorities, OpenShift is better suited.
Budget:
- Kubernetes is open-source and low-cost. But extra tools can raise expenses.
- OpenShift requires a subscription but bundles many enterprise-grade tools, reducing operational overhead.
Use Cases:
- For projects that need specific tools or high customisation, Kubernetes is the best.
- For organisations that value compliance, security, and easy management, OpenShift is better.
How Utho enhances Kubernetes deployments
For businesses wanting a cheaper, simpler option to Kubernetes, Utho is ideal. Utho simplifies Kubernetes deployment and management with features such as:
- Pre-configured Kubernetes clusters: Start deploying applications instantly without complex setups.
- Affordable Worker Node Pricing: Save big on costs compared to major cloud providers.
- Open-Source Alignment: Enjoy the transparency and flexibility of Kubernetes without vendor lock-in.
Why choose Utho?
Accelerate application deployment with automated workflows.
Reduce operational costs while maintaining enterprise-grade performance.
Gain better control over resources and application performance.
Kubernetes and OpenShift are both great for managing containerised apps. But they differ in flexibility, cost, ease of use, and enterprise features. Choosing the right platform depends on your business needs, technical expertise, and budget.
For businesses wanting the best of Kubernetes, platforms like Utho bridge the gap. They add simplicity and affordability. They make Kubernetes deployment easy and efficient. Kubernetes offers flexibility; OpenShift has enterprise features. Both will help you build and manage scalable, reliable apps in the cloud-native world.
