Startup Kubermatic GmbH today introduced an open-source tool to make it easier to manage enterprise Kubernetes clusters and the software components running on them. 

The tool, dubbed KubeCarrier, is available on GitHub. It enables enterprises to equip their Kubernetes clusters with what Kubermatic refers to as a service hub, a kind of app store through which developers can deploy databases and other software components on-demand. 

Installing a new software component on a Kubernetes cluster can involve a lot of work. For complex workloads such as databases, administrators often have to create so-called Operators, automated workflows that are needed to perform essential management tasks such as scheduling backups. As the number of workloads and associated Operators in a Kubernetes cluster grows, so does the amount of work required to manage them. 

Administrators have to ensure that all software components adhere to internal compliance rules. Because of the need to uphold those rules, and because of the overall complexity of Kubernetes, the developers who work with the software components in a cluster can’t provision them on their own. They instead need to send the information technology team a manual request when they need to deploy a new workload and its Operator. 

KubeCarrier is Kubermatic’s  attempt to streamline the process. The tool’s service hub makes software components and their Operators available to developers on a self-service basis, allowing them to provision workloads without help from an administrator. 

Kubermatic says the tool streamlines IT teams’ work as well. KubeCarrier has features that allow administrators to manage centrally which employees can deploy software on a Kubernetes cluster and under what conditions. They can also track all the workloads that developers have deployed through KubeCarrier to ensure they’re meeting compliance rules.

The introduction of KubeCarrier follows Germany-based Kubermatic’s rebranding from Loodse, the name it used until this June. On the day of the rebrand, the startup also open-sourced its flagship Kubermatic Kubernetes Platform product, which allows administrators to manage multiple Kubernetes clusters through a central interface.

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