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Red Hat OpenShift

Container & Kubernetes Mgmt

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★★★★☆ 4.5 / 5 on G2 · 4.5 on Capterra (306 G2 reviews)
4.5 / 5
G2 rating, 306 reviews [source]
Red Hat
Vendor [source]
Enterprise
Kubernetes [source]
Hybrid
Any cloud or on prem [source]

Quick facts

CategoryEnterprise Kubernetes platform
VendorRed Hat (IBM)
Starts atSubscription quote
Best forEnterprise Kubernetes
DeploymentOn premise, cloud, managed
Free planOKD (open source) and trials
IntegrationsCI/CD, developer tools, Red Hat
G2 rating4.5 / 5
Capterra rating4.5 / 5
Based onKubernetes

What is Red Hat OpenShift?

Red Hat OpenShift is Red Hat's enterprise Kubernetes platform, adding developer tools, security, CI/CD and operations on top of Kubernetes. It takes Kubernetes and builds a complete, supported platform around it, integrated developer tools and CI/CD (OpenShift Pipelines and GitOps), built in security and compliance, networking and storage, a web console, and operations tooling, available on premise, in the cloud, or as managed services on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and IBM Cloud. The leading enterprise Kubernetes platform, used across regulated and large organisations, OpenShift gives teams a consistent, secure, supported Kubernetes experience anywhere. For enterprise Kubernetes, OpenShift is the benchmark.

OpenShift's distinction is being a complete, supported enterprise Kubernetes platform, consistent across any environment. Rather than raw Kubernetes, it bundles developer experience, security, CI/CD and operations with Red Hat support, and runs the same way on premise, in any cloud or managed, giving portability and a full platform. That completeness, security and hybrid consistency, with enterprise support, set it apart.

OpenShift at a glanceRed Hat OpenShift is an enterprise Kubernetes platform adding developer tools, security and operations [Red Hat]. It holds a 4.5 out of 5 rating across 306 reviews on G2 and 4.5 on Capterra, the enterprise Kubernetes leader.

Who Red Hat OpenShift is best for

Red Hat OpenShift is best for enterprises and regulated organisations that want a complete, supported Kubernetes platform with developer tools, security and operations, consistent across on premise and multiple clouds, with Red Hat support. It suits enterprise and hybrid Kubernetes. It is a weaker fit for teams on a single cloud happy with that cloud's managed Kubernetes (GKE, EKS, AKS), small teams wanting simplicity, where Portainer fits, or those wanting only multi cluster management, where Rancher fits.

Key features

The core strengths are a complete Kubernetes platform with integrated developer tools and CI/CD (Pipelines, GitOps), built in security and compliance, networking and storage, a web console, and operations tooling, consistent on premise, cloud or managed. OpenShift offers Operators, service mesh, and Red Hat support. Its completeness, security, hybrid consistency and support are its defining advantages for enterprises.

Red Hat OpenShift pricing

OpenShift is subscription based, typically priced per node or per core (or per compute on managed cloud services like ROSA and ARO), quoted for enterprises, reflecting its full platform and support, with the open source OKD and trials available free. Managed cloud OpenShift adds the cloud compute cost. Pricing reflects enterprise value and support. Model nodes, cores and support. Get details via the OpenShift site.

Integrations and ecosystem

OpenShift integrates CI/CD (Pipelines, GitOps), developer tools, the Operator ecosystem, service mesh, and the broader Red Hat and cloud ecosystems, running on any cloud or on premise. Its integrated platform and Operator and Red Hat ecosystem, which provide a consistent, extensible Kubernetes experience everywhere, support its enterprise positioning and portability.

OpenShift and the complete platform

A complete, consistent platform is the signature strength: OpenShift bundles developer experience, CI/CD, security and operations around Kubernetes and runs the same on premise, in any cloud or managed, so enterprises get a full, supported, portable Kubernetes rather than assembling and operating raw Kubernetes themselves. For enterprises wanting that, it is the main reason to choose OpenShift.

Ease of use and support

OpenShift is highly rated for its complete platform, developer experience, security and strong documentation and Red Hat support, among the leaders in container management, though it is enterprise priced and more than small teams need. Its G2 reviews praise the platform, security and support, with cost and complexity the main considerations.

Is Red Hat OpenShift worth it?

For enterprises and regulated organisations that want a complete, supported, portable Kubernetes platform with developer tools, security and operations, Red Hat OpenShift is the benchmark choice. The main caution is enterprise cost and more than small teams need, so single cloud teams may prefer managed GKE, EKS or AKS, small teams Portainer, and multi cluster only Rancher, but for enterprise Kubernetes OpenShift leads.

Pricing

OKD (open source)

$0
free
  • Community Kubernetes platform
  • Self supported
  • Core features

OpenShift subscription

Custom
per node / core
  • Full platform
  • Red Hat support
  • On prem or cloud

Managed (ROSA, ARO)

Usage
+ cloud compute
  • Managed on AWS/Azure/GCP
  • Red Hat operated
  • Enterprise

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Complete enterprise Kubernetes platform
  • Developer tools, CI/CD and security built in
  • Consistent across on prem and clouds
  • Strong Red Hat support
  • Hybrid and portable

Cons

  • Enterprise priced
  • More than small teams need
  • Complexity of a full platform
  • Managed options add cloud cost

Red Hat OpenShift alternatives

These container & kubernetes mgmt tools come up most often against Red Hat OpenShift.

Rancher (SUSE)

Multi-cluster Kubernetes management, open source

VMware Tanzu

Enterprise Kubernetes runtime and application platform

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)

Managed Kubernetes from Kubernetes originators

Red Hat OpenShift FAQ

What is Red Hat OpenShift used for?
OpenShift is used to run containerised applications on an enterprise Kubernetes platform: it adds developer tools, CI/CD, security, networking, storage and operations on top of Kubernetes, consistently on premise, in any cloud or managed, with Red Hat support.
How much does OpenShift cost?
OpenShift is subscription based, typically per node or core (or per compute on managed ROSA and ARO), quoted for enterprises, with open source OKD and trials free. Managed cloud OpenShift adds cloud compute. Get details via the OpenShift site.
What is the difference between OpenShift and Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is the open source orchestration system, while OpenShift is Red Hat's enterprise platform built on Kubernetes, adding developer tools, CI/CD, security, operations and support. OpenShift is Kubernetes plus a complete, supported enterprise platform around it.
Is OpenShift good for enterprises?
Yes. OpenShift is the leading enterprise Kubernetes platform, with a complete developer and operations experience, built in security and compliance, consistency across on premise and clouds, and Red Hat support, suited to large and regulated organisations.
OpenShift vs Rancher, which is better?
OpenShift is a complete enterprise Kubernetes platform with built in tooling and support, while Rancher focuses on managing many Kubernetes clusters and is open source. OpenShift suits a full enterprise platform; Rancher suits multi cluster management.
Can OpenShift run on any cloud?
Yes. OpenShift runs on premise and on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and IBM Cloud, including managed services (ROSA, ARO), giving a consistent Kubernetes platform across environments, which is a key part of its hybrid and portability value.

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