OpenStack is a free and open-source software platform for cloud computing, mostly deployed as an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). The software platform consists of interrelated components that control diverse, multi-vendor hardware and software into an integrated whole. It is used by organizations to manage large-scale deployments to VMs such as in cloud computing or a virtual private server environment. It is used mainly for three reasons: Scalability, Reliability, and providing control over the infrastructure.
OpenStack V Other Cloud Platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.)
So, why would we use OpenStack if we already have popular cloud service providers like AWS, GCP, Azure, etc?
OpenStack is free and open-source. It has a large and active community of developers and users who contribute code and share knowledge. This helps in faster innovation and feature additions.
OpenStack services are loosely coupled and modular. This makes it easier to swap out individual components. It offers more flexibility as compared to other cloud providers.
OpenStack has support for a wider range of hardware and software stacks. It can run on VMware, KVM, Xen, etc.
Proprietary cloud platforms tend to have better performance, scalability, reliability, and security due to years of optimization and experience. OpenStack still lags in these aspects.
Other cloud platforms offer more comprehensive and intuitive dashboards and management tools. OpenStack dashboard (Horizon) is improving but still has a ways to go.
Also, proprietary cloud platforms are easier to set up as they provide proper software-as-a-service to do so.
So in summary, OpenStack provides more flexibility and customizability due to its open-source nature. But proprietary cloud platforms tend to offer more mature and managed cloud services out of the box. The choice depends on your specific requirements and preferences.
The OpenStack Services Map
There are a lot of OpenStack services but here are a few main components:
Compute (Nova): This provides virtual machines as a service. It supports KVM, Xen, VMware, and others.
Image service (Glance): Stores and retrieves virtual machine disk images.
Object storage (Swift): Scalable storage for unstructured data like files, images, videos, etc.
Identity (Keystone): Provides authentication and authorization services across the entire cloud software stack.
Networking (Neutron): Provides network connectivity between interface devices managed by other OpenStack services.
Dashboard (Horizon): Provides a web-based user interface for managing all OpenStack services.
Telemetry (Ceilometer): Collects measurements of resource usage.
Orchestration (Heat): Provides a template-based API for deploying multiple resources.
OpenStack services use REST APIs, SQL databases, and Queuing systems for communication. It provides a unified API across all services and can be integrated with various operating systems, hardware platforms, databases, and object storage systems.