Will Kubernetes repeat OpenStack’s fate?

Openstack is de-facto dead. Loudly launched in 2008 with the support of NASA and RackSpace by 2019 the project remained in demand in a very narrow niche like NFV in telecom providers.

At the moment, Openstack is trying to rise from the ashes like a phoenix bird with new infrastructure-level projects, which were, initially, discarded. If you look at Kubernetes and OpenStack at a general glance, you will find a lot in common: both are frameworks with scalable plugin-based architecture and not infrastructure services by themselves. Vanilla deployment is a Lego constructor offering a DIY approach. Internal projects with the same or similar functionality compete with each other. The more or less usable product comes as a finished commercial product provided by different vendors - from Red Hat to DellEMC.

Rapid development, ambitious plans to take over the universe, and the features described above, eventually, led Openstack to its current state. It can be objected that Kubernetes is developed by such giant as Google (well-known projects graveyard, he-he) and is heavily adopted in projects of different levels. And all mistakes of the past have been taken into account. Also, market adoption, support, and maturity are much more advanced compared to 10 years ago.

All modern projects are trying to solve the same problem of increasing the complexity of application support. If you look retrospectively, before Kubernetes there was Docker before it was CMPs - Cloud Management Platform(s), abstracting clouds behind a single management portal (initially, Openstack is also CMP). Slightly different approaches for, in general, one task. And there is still no single successful solution or approach to managing the compute, storage, and network parts. The exception is the IaaS cloud per se, but it’s a managed solution, “someone else’s computer” as Eric Schmidt put it, if I’m not confused.

Kubernetes is a great solution that closes needs that Docker can’t solve already at an average scale. And the approach with plugins and the idea framework is certainly good and has its benefits, although it has already known problems and risks.