CoreOS has released Tectonic, adding management and monitoring tools to this new product created from the aggregation of the CoreOS stack and the Google Kubernetes platform.
In addition to the CoreOS portfolio and Kubernetes, Tectonic includes a management console for workflows and dashboards, an integrated registry to build and share Linux containers, and tools to automate deployment and customize rolling updates. Tectonic runs on-premises or in public clouds. Joining forces with the Google product, CoreOS provides a solution that packages up different container technology, putting a UI on top of containers.
Other companies have already put Kubernetes to work for enterprises before. This is the case for Google with its Container Engine, Microsoft with a new functionality built for Azure or Red Hat via its container-oriented Project Atomic. We asked Alex Polvi, CoreOS CEO, about the differences between Tectonic and its competitors:
Tectonic is the first, and only, commercially supported complete Kubernetes stack today. Google's Container Engine only works on Google Cloud. Microsoft's product is still very early, and not demonstrated clearly as commercial product for them. Red Hat and Atomic is closest, but my understanding is their focus is on PaaS with their OpenShift product.
Tectonic has been launched as a commercial product although right now it is still in beta. Interested users can sign up for the beta in the Tectonic website. Tectonic is made up of open-source code, and the different components may be downloaded from the CoreOS and Kubernetes sites for unsupported use. It includes an installer, the CoreOS host version of Linux, Kubernetes, CoreOS's Flannel networking, a cluster management console, and a browser-based user interface.
The main difference between Tectonic and the do-it-yourself CoreOS stack that companies might already have in use is Kubernetes itself.
CoreOS stressed that the Linux distribution and the open-source projects like rkt, etcd, fleet or flannel, will continue the current roadmap as “Tectonic uses many of these projects internally and runs on top of the same CoreOS Linux operating system,” Polvi said.
Within the CoreOS Fest, the company will speak about Tectonic, among other topics. The fest will take place in San Francisco on May 4 and 5.