Understanding the Differences Between OpenShift Origin, Online, and Enterprise

OpenShift, a powerful Kubernetes-based platform developed by Red Hat, is designed to facilitate container orchestration and management. As an enterprise platform, it offers several editions tailored to different needs and use cases, including OpenShift Origin, OpenShift Online, and OpenShift Enterprise. Each edition has its unique features, support levels, and deployment environments, making it essential for organizations to understand these differences to choose the most suitable option.

OpenShift Origin: The Community-Driven Approach

Type: Community Edition

Description: OpenShift Origin is the open-source upstream project for OpenShift. This platform is community-driven, encouraging developers to contribute and collaborate on features and improvements. Users can deploy applications in containers and manage them using Kubernetes.

Use Case: Ideal for developers and organizations looking to experiment with OpenShift and contribute to its development. It can be installed on various environments, including local machines, VMs, or cloud providers.

Support: Community support through forums and documentation with no official support from Red Hat.

OpenShift Online: The Managed Cloud Solution

Type: Managed Service

Description: OpenShift Online is a public cloud version of OpenShift offered as a service by Red Hat. It simplifies the deployment and management of applications by abstracting away the underlying infrastructure.

Use Case: Suitable for businesses that want to leverage OpenShift's capabilities without managing the infrastructure. Users can focus on application development and deployment.

Support: Red Hat provides technical support based on the subscription tier chosen by the user.

OpenShift Enterprise: The On-Premises and Private Cloud Solution

Type: On-Premises or Private Cloud

Description: OpenShift Enterprise is a self-managed version of OpenShift designed for enterprises that need more control and customization. It can be deployed on-premises or in private clouds, offering a robust set of advanced features like integration with existing enterprise systems.

Use Case: Best for organizations that need to meet specific compliance, security, or performance requirements while managing their own infrastructure.

Support: Comprehensive support from Red Hat, including access to updates, patches, and technical assistance.

Summary

Each version of OpenShift serves different needs, ensuring that organizations can choose based on their requirements for management, support, and deployment environment. OpenShift Origin is perfect for community involvement and experimentation, while OpenShift Online offers a managed and simplified cloud environment. For those with specific enterprise needs, OpenShift Enterprise provides the necessary control, customization, and support.

With a range of options from open-source community projects to cloud-managed services to on-premises solutions, Red Hat ensures that developers and enterprises have the flexibility to choose the right platform for their unique needs.

To further explore the specific technical details and features of each version, visit the Red Hat OpenShift versions page.