Difference Between Kubernetes and OpenShift

Containerization is the process of packaging software code along with all of its necessary dependencies, including libraries, frameworks, and other dependencies, into a single, isolated “container.” The purpose of this is to enable consistent movement and operation of the program or application within the container in any environment and on any infrastructure, regardless of the operating system used by those environments or infrastructures.

Difference Between Openshift, Docker, And Kubernetes

The following are the differences between Openshift, Docker, And Kubernetes:

Features	Openshift	Docker	Kubernetes
Definition	Opensift is a container platform application provided by Redhat	Docker is a container platform for developing, shipping, and running containers	Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration tool.
Management	It provides container orchestration and management.	Docker focuses on container creation and management	Kubernetes is also known for container management and orchestration
Purpose	It facilitates with streamlining the containerized application development	It comes up with simplifying the creation and deployment of container	It automates deployment of scaling and management.
Ecosystem	It is built on top of kubernetes with addon features	It provides the tools for creating and managing the containers	It provides the core orchestration of engine
Usage	It is helpful for the enterprise-grade container platform	It is helpful for development, packaging and distribution of applications	It is useful for container orchestration in various environments.
Features	It comes with built-in CI/CD, security, monitoring etc..	It provides containerization, image management, networking	It provides scalability, self-healing, declarative configuration

What is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes is an open-source Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) framework initially created by Google. It is an open-source, portable containerization system that lets developers automate the deployment, scaling, management, and networking of containers. It groups the containers into logical clusters for easy discovery and management.

It is capable of running in both cloud and on-premise systems, as well as hybrid clouds. Kubernetes is used by Developers to introduce various features like process automation, load balancing, and storage orchestration into their CI/CD pipelines.

Key Features of Kubernetes

• It manages batches and CI(Continuous Integration) workloads and enables users to automatically or manually scale the applications.
• It has the functionality of self-recovery as it restarts the failed containers, and replaces and removes containers failing health checks.
• In Kubernetes, the service discovery and load-balancing services assign DNS names, IP addresses, and load-balances to pods automatically.

Kubernetes Architecture

Kubernetes architecture is composed of a number of components, each of which plays a specific role in the overall system. These components can be divided into two categories:

• nodes: Each Kubernetes cluster requires at least one worker node, which is a collection of worker machines that make up the nodes where our container will be deployed.
• Control plane: The worker nodes and any pods contained within them will be under the control plane.

Typical Use Cases for Kubernetes

The following are the use cases for Kubernetes:

• 1. Microservices Architecture: Kubernetes is mainly suitable for microservice applications. Each service in the application is responsible for a specific service. Each service in the application will contact each of them by using the HTTP REST APIs or message queues.
• 2. Containerized Applications: Kubernetes is an container orchestration platform which is ideal for the applications which needs to be containerized. Kubernetes will helps to maintain the availability of the application by scaling the containers.
• 3. Scalable Web Applications: Kuberneets have an an service called as Horizontal Pod Autoscaling which will scale the application container by depending on the incoming traffic. It will scale automatically and dynamically based on the incoming traffic.
• 4. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): You can integrate the kubernetes with the Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tools which will automate the deployment of the applications.

What Is OpenShift?

OpenShift is a cloud development Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) developed by open-source provider Red Hat. The main concept used behind OpenShift is Virtualization. The developers of OpenShift consider Kubernetes as the Kernel of its distributed platform whereas OpenShift is the distribution. It also enables the manual scaling of containerized applications.

OpenShift Container Platform is generally offered in the cloud. It has support for Node.js, Python, Ruby, Perl, Go, and Java-based applications.

Openshift Docker Image

Opensift provides a platform for deploying and managing the containerized applications. The following is the command used for deploying a new application using an image in Openshift:

oc new-app <Image>

• Here specify the image for you going to use in replacing the <image> and also provide the container instead of new-app and run the command.

What are the Advantages of Openshift?

The following are the advantages of Openshift:

• Full-stack automation: Openshift automates the deployment, scaling and managing of the containerized applications by streamling the development process and reducing the manual effort.
• Scalability And Flexibility: It facilitates with providing the features with scaling of the containterized applications with scaling horizontally and vertically allowing them to distribute the workloads efficiently.
• Enhanced Security: Openshift provides the strong security features with RBAC (Role Based Access Control), network policies and secure container isolation.
• Developer Productivity: On providing with features such as built-in CI/CD pipelines, source-to-imagee(S2I) builds and GitOps workflows It accelerates the the development lifecycles supporting the developers to focus

Key Features of OpenShift

The following are the key features of Openshift:

• Kubernetes’ operators help in the management of applications and make the job more efficient as it allows the code to interact with the Kubernetes system.
• One of the most important features of OpenShift is cluster installation and further upgrades.
• The Knative feature helps in creating Faas ( Function-as-a-Service) workloads.

OpenShift Architecture

Openshift is an container orchestration platform which is developed by the redhat which is build on kubernetes following are some of the main components of openshift.

Nodes

• Master node: Master node is also called an control plan which manages the all the worker nodes in the cluster.
• Worker node: In the worker nodes the containers of the application will run.

Typical Use Cases for OpenShift

The following are the use cases for Openshift:

1. Enterprise Container Orchestration: Openshift is used for the managing the containerized application in the secured manner. You can scale the containerized applications depending on the incoming traffic.

2. Microservices Architecture: Microservices Architecture is mainly sutabile for the microservice applications. Each service in the application is responsible for a specific service. Each service in the application will contact with the each of them by using the HTTP REST APIs or message queues.

3. Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Deployments: Openshift can be deployed on the multi-cloud environments which will increases the agility and cost optimization.

4. Edge Computing: Openshift allows deploying the containers in the edge locations by which you can decrease the latency of the application to the end users which will increase in the performance of the applications.

Choosing Between Kubernetes and OpenShift

Kubernetes and OpenShift are most widely used container orchestration tool with there unique features and services. kubernetes can helps in the deployment of the application by integrates with the CI/CD application and also can scale the application dynamically depending on the incoming traffic. On the other hand Openshift which is used for containerization of applications with the help of kubernets underneath which helps applications run more efficiently.

Kubernetes is an open-source which has a wide range of community and it is adopted by various vendors. Openshift is an enterprise edition with kubernets underlying so it provide additional enterprise features and support.

OpenShift vs Kubernetes

The following are the differences between Openshift and Kubernetes:

Parameters	Kubernetes	OpenShift
Platform Support	Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, and others.	RHEL(Red Hat Enterprise Linux), CentOS, and Red Hat CoreOS.
Integrated CI/CD Support	It doesn’t provide inbuilt CI/CD and to construct CI/CD pipelines some third-party tool is required.	It also does not provide built-in CI/CD integration but is easier to construct CI/CD pipelines as it offers Jenkins containers.
Security	It provides less lenient security compared to OpenShift.	It offers more strict security policies than Kubernetes.
Type of Product	It is an open-source product.	OpenShift is a commercial product, unlike Kubernetes.
Object provided	Kubernetes provides Ingress which provides more functionality than Router.	OpenShift provides a Router object which is more stable than Ingress.
Integrated Image Registry	It does not have a built-in or integrated image registry.	It has a built-in image registry.

Kubernetes Vs Docker: What Are the Differences?

The following are the differences between Kubernetes and Docker:

Features	Kubernetes	Docker
Definition	Kubernetes is a container Orchestration platform	Docker is a container management platform for developing, shipping and running the containers
Role	Its role is container orchestration and management	Its role is containerization and Image management
Ecosystem	It provides the ecosystem with various tools and plugins	It primary focuses on containerization
Deployment	It facilitates with managing the containers across the cluster	It facilitates on creating and managing the containers
Scaling	It supports the automatic scaling and load balancing	It provides the scaling options but not the orchestration
Community	It supports with large and active community with frequent updates	It has a established community that more focuses on containerization

To know more about Kubernetes vs Docker, refer this – Article

CRIO vs Docker: What Are the Differences?

The following are the differences between CRIO and Docker:

Features	CRIO	Docker
Purpose	It is a light weight container runtime used for Kubernetes	It is container platform developed for building, shipping and running the containers
Focus	It has designed specially for kubernetes	It supports a wide range of container for use cases
Integration	It directly integrates with Kubernetes	It supports the integration with various other orchestration tools
Performnce	It provides the high performance and stability to the kubernetes cluster at core-level	It facilities with easy of use and enhance the developer experience
Community Support	It has kubernetes Community support	It is supported by Docker Inc. and a large community

What is Docker Swarm?

Docker Swarm is native tool of docker containers that meant for native clustering and orchestration of docker containers. It facilitates the users to create and mange the containers over the Swarm cluster ( Docker Hosts ). It provides the seamless deployment and scaling of containerized applications with built-in features like service discovery, load balancing and rolling updates. It simplifies the management of containerized workloads across various distributed environments

Docker Swarm vs Openshift: What Are the Differences?

The following are the differences of Docker Swarm and Openshift:

Feature	Docker Swarm	Openshift
Purpose	It is docker-native clustering and orchestration tool	It is enterprise graded container platform
Scope	It primarly focuses on container orchestration	It acts as comprehensive platform with features such as built-in CI/CD, security and monitoring features
Ecosystem	It is the part of docker ecosystem with more light-weight software	It built on top of the kubernetes for having additional enterprise features and support. It comes with heavy weight software
Company/Project	It is developed and maintained by Docker Inc	It is developed and maintained by RedHat Company
Community	It has a large community with widespread adoption	it is backed by a strong community support from the Redhat

Docker Swarm vs Kubernetes: What Are the Differences?

The following are the difference between Docker Swarm and Kubernetes:

Feature	Docker Swarm	Kubernetes
Purpose	Docker Swarm is a docker-native clustering and orchestration tool	Kubernetes is an orchestration platfrom developed by CNCF
Scope	IT provides the Simple and more light weighted software	It is very comprehensive and highly extensible
Ecosystem	It is a part of Docker’s ecosystem with less modularity	It is part of CNCF with extensive ecosystem and integrations
Adoption	It is easier to get started, suitable for smaller projects	It can be preferrable choice for enterprise graded deployments.

When to Use Docker?

The following are the some of the recommended scenarios to use Docker:

• Developement and Testing: Docker will be ideal for lcoal developments and testing environments. It facilitatest the developers to package thier applications with all its dependencies into light weight containers providing consistency across the different environments.
• Single Host Deployments: It is suitable for deploying applications on a single host or small scalable environments where orchestration is not required.
• Quick Prototyping: It provides the rapid prototyping and experimenting the containerized applications in the environments.

When to Use Podman?

The following are the some of the recommended scenarios to use Podman:

• Rootless Containers: It will be good choice to use the podman for the environments where the running containers as non-root users is required for for security reasons. It facilitates the rootless containers to create and manage the containers without need of much previligies.
• Compatibility with Docker: Podman have the capability of compatabiling with Docker CLI commands and container images. It provide the seamless alternative for docker for users to familiarise with docker workflows.
• Minimalist Container Management: Podman provides the minimalist approach to container management for simplicity and security acting as suitable for container management without much complexity of full fledged orchestration.

When to Use Kubernetes?

The following are the some of the recommended scenarios to use Kubernetes:

• Scalable Deployments: Kubernetes is designed for deploying, managing and scaling the orchestrated containerized applicatiosn in the production environments.
• Microservices Architecture: It is well suitable for micro-services based architectures where applications are decomposed into smaller and indepedent services.
• Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Deployments: It provides the facility and have capability to deploy the applications across multiple platfroms support multi-cloud enviroments.

Kubernetes and OpenShift – FAQs

Is Kubernetes and Openshift are Same?

No, kubernets and openshift are not same. Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform and openshift is an commercial distribution of kubernetes which is developed by the redhat.

What are Docker, Kubernets and Openshift?

Docker, Kubernets and Openshift this three are different key terminologies in same containerization ecosystem.Each has there own roles and responsibilities like deployment, management, and orchestration of containerized applications.

What is the difference between Kubernets, Docker Swarm and OpenShift?

You can deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications with the aid of container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, and OpenShift. Each has advantages and disadvantages of their own, so it’s critical to select the best one for your requirements.

Does Openshift Still uses Docker?

No, Openshift has no longer docker as its default container runtime it now primarly using CRI-O. But it also supports Docker and Podman as laternatives.

Does Openshift Use Docker or Podman?

Openshift uses CRI-O as its default container runtime, but it also supports Docker and Podman as alternative runtimes.