10 Hot New Kubernetes Platforms and Tools Shaping Cloud‑Native Futures

As of 2020 the Kubernetes ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with many infrastructure vendors releasing disruptive platforms and tools for deploying and managing container‑based workloads. Below are ten newly released Kubernetes‑related technologies expected to make waves across enterprise IT.

Docker Enterprise 3.1

After acquiring Docker’s server‑side business, Mirantis released the first version of Docker Kubernetes platform in May. Docker Enterprise 3.1 adds important new features, especially for Windows workloads, integrates Kubernetes 1.17, upgrades SLA, and introduces GPU orchestration for AI developers.

HPE Container Platform 5.0

HPE Container Platform 5.0 is the first version built on open‑source Kubernetes, emphasizing enterprise‑grade deployment, management, security, and hybrid‑cloud capabilities. It is the result of two years of work on BlueData and MapR technologies and can manage applications in on‑prem, public‑cloud, or edge environments as micro‑service cloud‑native apps.

OpenShift 4.5

Red Hat released OpenShift 4.5 in August, adding the ability to run both traditional virtualized workloads and cloud‑native container workloads on the Kubernetes platform. The release also introduces edge deployment, push‑button deployment in VMware environments, and several developer‑focused features. OpenShift virtualization uses the KubeVirt add‑on to allow VMs to coexist with containers.

VMware vSphere 7.0

VMware launched vSphere 7.0 in March, delivering a major container breakthrough through the highly anticipated Project Pacific. By embedding Kubernetes into vSphere, developers can use familiar cloud‑native tools and interfaces, while partners leverage existing vSphere expertise to manage cloud‑native environments. VMware also offers Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Services and vSphere Pod Service for fully compatible Kubernetes workloads with VM‑like isolation, and the latest vSphere version is integrated into VMware Cloud Foundation 4.

Amazon Bottlerocket

Amazon Bottlerocket is a lightweight Linux OS designed to run Kubernetes‑orchestrated workloads efficiently in the cloud. AWS removed unnecessary kernel features, reducing attack surface, improving security, and decreasing installation footprint, which boosts resource utilization and lowers cost. Its tight integration with native AWS services and innovative upgrade and security features position it for rapid adoption.

Google Anthos Updates

In August, Google Cloud added a suite of new features to Anthos, including advanced AI and cluster‑management capabilities. The updates make the hybrid‑and‑multi‑cloud platform based on Google Kubernetes easier to use and capable of handling more workloads. Anthos added a bare‑metal deployment option for physical servers, edge sites, and telecom locations, and integrated Cloud Run for Anthos with Cloud Code IDE plugins for VS Code and IntelliJ.

Nutanix Karbon Platform Service

Nutanix introduced Karbon Platform Service in September as a platform‑as‑a‑service that provides automated security and multi‑tenant services for customers running micro‑service applications across multiple cloud infrastructures. It offers a turnkey managed experience for building and running cloud‑native apps on‑prem, public cloud, or edge, including container‑as‑a‑service, serverless capabilities, Prometheus monitoring, and advanced networking and data services. As an integrated component of the Nutanix hyper‑converged stack, it delivers core Kubernetes lifecycle management.

AWS Controllers for Kubernetes (ACK)

Amazon Web Services released a tool in August that lets users manage AWS services directly from Kubernetes. ACK is an open‑source developer preview on GitHub that simplifies building scalable, highly available Kubernetes applications without defining resources outside the cluster. It currently supports Amazon S3, API Gateway V2, SNS, SQS, DynamoDB, and ECR.

Azure Arc‑Enabled Kubernetes

Microsoft launched Azure Arc‑Enabled Kubernetes in May, allowing container‑based services to be deployed in any environment while extending Azure management to any infrastructure. The public preview lets customers connect and configure Kubernetes clusters across on‑prem, multi‑cloud, and edge using Azure Arc’s multi‑cloud platform, and apply GitOps practices to version‑control and enforce application and cluster configurations.

KubeCarrier

Kubermatic released KubeCarrier in August, adding an open‑source service‑management hub to its Kubernetes automation portfolio. KubeCarrier enables operations teams to automate the supply and lifecycle management of services, applications, and hardware‑device APIs using Kubernetes Operators, allowing service providers to expose cloud‑native services across multiple clouds to external users.