OpenShift vs Kubernetes: Detailed Guide

People have heard the word Containers and the two prominent choices that come to mind are Kubernetes and OpenShift. These two platforms have made container management simple and easy. In the present day, containerization is the most effective way for scaling an app. It is also considered the best platform in terms of handling security and large numbers of users and data accurately. One such example is Pokemon Go which was hosted on Kubernetes and was able to handle the unexpected load due to containerization.

Although we can find a lot of similarities between OpenShift and Kubernetes, we will discuss their differences in this article. Before understanding the differences, we need to know what these two container platforms are.

Let’s get started.

What is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes was developed by Google as an open-source and portable Container-as-a-Service platform. It helps developers in managing services and workloads. Now adopted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) Kubernetes provide capabilities like automation, container balancing, storage orchestration, and many more.

What is OpenShift?

RedHat OpenShift is a cloud-based container platform that works as a platform-as-a-Service and orchestration engine for containers. OpenShift is an open-source container that utilizes the Kubernetes platform to manage Docker containers and provide workload management, self-monitoring. With the help of OpenShift, developers can deploy containerized applications in IDE.

How are OpenShift and Kubernetes different from each other?

OpenShift vs Kubernetes

Both Kubernetes and OpenShift have a robust architecture to enable robust and large-scale application development. While Kubernetes is managed by the collective collaboration between users and the global developer’s community, OpenShift is developed and managed by Red Hat Inc.

Let us look into the differences between OpenShift vs Kubernetes

Deployment

Kubernetes being an open-source platform provides more flexibility i.e. it can be installed on any platform like Microsoft Azure and AWS as well as on Linux and Ubuntu. Contrary, OpenShift requires Red Hat Enterprise Linux Atomic Host (RHELAH). This makes OpenShift a limited option for business.

Security

Kubernetes lacks built-in capabilities for authentication and needs manual authentication processes like bearer tokens. This makes Kubernetes more prone to attacks.  OpenShift, on the other hand, comes with much stricter and well-defined security policies. For example, an OpenShift will not allow containers to run as simple images. It also offers an integrated server for easier authentication.

User Interface

When it comes to the web interface, Kubernetes is much more complex than OpenShift. Kubernetes will ask you to install the Kubernetes dashboard in order to access the web GUI. The dashboard will further require a bearer token as it lacks a login page. On the other hand, OpenShift has a one-touch login page and a console that lets you modify, add and delete resources easily. 

Continuous Delivery/ Continuous Integration

Kubernetes does not offer a CI/CD solution and to create an entire CI/CD pipeline we have to pair it with CI servers. OpenShift is also not a complete CI/CD solution but it offers an integrated certified Jenkins container that acts as a CI server.

Updates

Kubernetes supports multiple updates simultaneously and upgrading is simple. Kubernetes has on average four releases yearly. OpenShift does not support multiple updates automatically.

Summarizing everything!

Both Kubernetes and OpenShift are prominent and excellent options for the deployment of container applications. While Kubernetes is flexible, OpenShift has many in-built components. Each has its unique features and benefits that stand out.

Ksolves is the leading OpenShift Development company in India and the USA and offers plenty of OpenShift services. If you want more information on OpenShift vs. Kubernetes, write to us in the comment section.