DEVOPSdigest

Docker is integrating Kubernetes into the Docker platform, offering users the choice to use Kubernetes and/or Docker Swarm for orchestration while maintaining the consistent developer to operator workflow users have come to expect from Docker.

For users, this means they get an unmodified version of Kubernetes with the added value of the Docker platform including security, management, a familiar developer workflow and tooling, broad ecosystem compatibility and an adherence to industry standards.

For IT organizations, Docker Enterprise Edition (EE) simplifies the configuration and management of Kubernetes by integrating all of the components within the platform and streamlining operational workflows for Kubernetes as well as Swarm. Docker EE provides the ability to deploy Swarm and Kubernetes-based applications across a secure and automated software supply chain operating in hybrid cloud environments. In turn, Docker for Mac and Docker for Windows provides developers with the freedom to build Swarm or Kubernetes-based applications on a local machine using the same Docker tooling. This new capability extends the Docker platform to support an even more diverse array of tools and plugins across the container ecosystem.

“At Docker, user feedback is our primary source of information to decide when to add new capabilities to the platform,” said Solomon Hykes, Founder and Chief Product Officer for Docker. “The addition of Kubernetes as an option alongside Swarm gives our users and customers the ability to make an orchestration choice with the added security, management and end-to-end Docker experience that they’ve come to expect from Docker since the very beginning. We look forward to working with the Kubernetes community to help users, partners and customers achieve the full benefits of the containerization revolution.”

Docker EE is an enterprise-grade container platform for managing and securing Windows, Linux and mainframe applications across any infrastructure, both on premises and in the cloud. Docker EE abstracts the complexity of orchestration management from enterprise IT with a powerful dashboard that automates workflows in the same way for Kubernetes as it does for Swarm. Advanced security features such as security scanning and content trust in combination with a private image registry enable dev and ops teams to unify and secure the software supply chain to release applications into production more rapidly and frequently. Kubernetes integrates with these capabilities as well as secure cluster management and secure multi-tenancy to add end-to-end security to Kubernetes.

Through its integration with Docker EE, Kubernetes will be available across certified infrastructure platforms including multiple Linux distributions (SLES, CentOS, RHEL, Ubuntu, Oracle Linux) and Windows as well as all cloud platforms including AWS and Azure. This means organizations are not locked into an underlying platform and get the greatest flexibility in hybrid cloud deployments.

“Docker with its Enterprise Edition has built traction with enterprise customers by offering them a comprehensive set of management and security capabilities that can enable container-based applications in production and across hybrid environments,” said Jay Lyman, Principal Analyst for 451 Research. "Support for Kubernetes in addition to the Docker Enterprise Edition capabilities including security, flexibility and enterprise-grade capabilities across a variety of clouds, Linux distributions and Windows, should appeal to enterprises seeking to centrally manage container applications and speed ROI.”

Docker has always been focused on building software that is open and simple to use. Because Docker EE was designed with an open framework that provides orchestration choice, integrating Kubernetes into the Docker platform requires no changes for developers or IT operations. For developers, there are no new commands to learn and nothing to install on their desktop. For IT, Docker EE automatically installs and configures all required components of Kubernetes as part of the system installation and manages the entire cluster from a unified dashboard.

Docker for Mac and Docker for Windows deliver a powerful developer toolset that provides a uniform development environment and workflow for any language and any app. The integration of a complete Kubernetes stack ensures that developers can seamlessly leverage features like multi-stage builds, application composition (Docker Compose) and in container development and have them run consistently from development all the way to production. Developers have the flexibility to write their application in Docker and then can choose their orchestrator without requiring any additional modification. Similarly developers can maintain their Docker native workflows, while experimenting with Kubernetes native tools and commands.

To try the latest version of Docker Enterprise Edition, Docker for Mac and Windows with built-in Kubernetes, sign up for the upcoming Beta.