Feature | OpenShift | OpenStack |
Source of software supply | In addition to the enterprise versions offered by Red Hat, OKD is a freely available community edition. | The development of OpenStack is subject to the community, led by the OpenInfra Foundation. In addition to the official, freely available version, major IT houses offer paid distributions. |
Deployment model | Multi- and hybrid cloud deployments are possible, but may be complex to build. Using standardized deployment mechanisms is worthwhile. | OpenStack is often operated “on-premises” using a company’s computing infrastructure. Since deployments are complex, customized distributions from large providers are available, including dedicated support. There are also various cloud-based approaches and managed solutions. |
Supported cloud platforms | When run as a self-managed solution, OpenShift can be used on virtually any infrastructure. As a managed solution, the software runs on cloud platforms AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud. | OpenStack runs on all cloud platforms in virtual machines, as well as on “bare metal” machines via hypervisor. Furthermore, the components can be installed in container environments of all major providers. |
Installation | Requires cluster or cloud environment for installation. | OpenStack controllers are installed either on-premises, or on an infrastructure provided by a vendor. |
Releases | Up to three releases per year. | Two releases annually. |
Update management | Updates are simplified by the “Cluster Version Operator”. | Updates are complex and there’s a risk of damaging the system. Updates of the individual components must be performed in a specific order. |
Image management | Red Hat’s “Quay” container registry contains container images scanned for vulnerabilities. | The “Glance” component manages the VM images used in provisioning the system. |
Use of templates | In addition to OpenShift’s templates, powerful “operators” are used to standardize the deployment and operation of applications. | Deployment of OpenStack is facilitated and made reproducible by industry tools such as Chef, Puppet, and Ansible. Furthermore, helmet or charms-based tools exist for deployment in containers. |
Network management | OpenShift supports software-defined networking (SDN), including overlay networks via Open vSwitch (OVS). | OpenStack’s “Neutron” component provides SDN using the networking-as-a-service (NaaS) model. |
Web interface | OpenShift’s sophisticated, convenient web interface is considered one of the best in the industry. | With the “Horizon” dashboard, a proven web interface for managing OpenStack is available ex works. |
Integrated CI/CD pipeline | While older versions still used “Jenkins”, newer version use “Tekton” by default. | Because the focus of OpenStack is primarily on provisioning virtualized resources, no dedicated CI/CD solution is integrated out of the box. |
Learning curve | OpenShift is considered easier to handle than “naked” K8s. If a managed solution is used, the software can be used relatively smoothly. | Due to the complexity of OpenStack, the learning curve is steep. The large number of individual components or addition of features may require additional training. |
Security features | One of the main benefits of OpenShift are its extensive security features. | The “Keystone” component provides basic user authentication and authorization functions. |
Enterprise use | The software is used by over two thousand organizations worldwide. Many large IT companies have special OpenShift solutions on offer. | Major IT companies offer specific distributions and support for OpenStack. These include Red Hat, VMware, IBM, SUSE, Canonical, OVH, Rackspace, Mirantis, and Dell. |