Open-Source Cloud Architecture: OpenStack vs OpenShift

Open-source technologies, such as OpenStack and OpenShift, are gaining significant popularity in data centers, reflecting the need for greater flexibility, innovation, and cost savings in handling today’s complex workloads. As cloud-native application development accelerates so does the desire for on-premises cloud architecture and hybrid cloud strategies, where open-source software plays a crucial role in managing diverse environments, offering interoperability across different platforms. The flexibility afforded by open-source solutions like OpenStack and OpenShift allows data centers to be more flexible, offering greater control over how infrastructure is deployed and managed, without being locked into a single vendor's ecosystem.

Using OpenStack to manage infrastructure with OpenShift to orchestrate applications gives data centers more flexibility. OpenStack’s scalability allows it to manage workloads, while OpenShift’s orchestration of microservices and containers provides an efficient platform for modern application development. We often see this combination in large enterprise organizations using OpenStack for managing their vast infrastructure resources, and OpenShift to manage their application delivery and deployment at scale.

OpenStack and Kubernetes

OpenStack can be integrated with Kubernetes. OpenStack Kubernetes enables IT teams to build a more flexible, scalable, and integrated cloud environment that supports both traditional virtualized applications and modern containerized workloads. OpenStack provides the private cloud infrastructure, while Kubernetes handles the container orchestration on top, enabling hybrid environments across private and public cloud resources.

OpenStack and KVM

OpenStack and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) are often used together and are a powerful combination for building and managing private or hybrid cloud infrastructures. KVM is an open-source hypervisor built into the Linux kernel that allows a Linux machine to act as a host for running multiple VMs. In an OpenStack cloud, KVM provides the virtualization layer, allowing OpenStack to spin up and manage VMs efficiently. KVM enables resource isolation, meaning multiple VMs can run on the same physical host without interfering with each other. OpenStack uses KVM to create scalable, flexible, and multi-tenant cloud environments, making it an ideal solution for organizations and service providers wanting to build private or hybrid clouds.

Lightbits: Next-Gen Software-Defined Storage for OpenStack and OpenShift

At Lightbits, we believe in the power of open source. That’s why we’ve developed an open-source Container Storage Interface (CSI) plugin that integrates seamlessly with OpenShift Virtualization . This plugin allows you to easily provision and manage high-performance persistent storage for your virtual machines, making deployment and scaling a breeze. With our CSI plugin, you can leverage the full power of Lightbits storage within your private or public environment, ensuring that your virtualized workloads have access to the performance and features they need to thrive. The Lightbits OpenStack Cinder driver enables seamless integration into your cloud while high availability, reliability, and QoS ensure consistent user experience, making Lightbits the fastest most scalable OpenStack storage solution .

Ready to supercharge your OpenStack and OpenShift Cloud with Lightbits?

Learn more about the power of software-defined storage with open-source solutions OpenStack and Openshift. Read the full article .