Mirantis Inc. has acquired Shipa Inc., a venture-backed startup that helps developers more quickly deploy software container applications in production.

Mirantis detailed in its announcement of the deal today that Shipa’s technology will be integrated into its Lens application. Mirantis obtained Lens through the acquisition of another startup, Lakend Labs Inc., in 2020. The application enables developers to manage multiple Kubernetes environments through a single interface.

The company reportedly paid between $10 million and $30 million to acquire Shipa. The startup previously raised $3.75 million from investors.

Large enterprises often deploy their container applications across multiple Kubernetes clusters. Historically, developers had to separately define the configuration settings of each cluster. Shipa offers a platform that streamlines the configuration process to save time for developers. 

Using the platform, a software team can create a script that defines the settings containers should include. The script could, for example, require that every container encrypt outbound network connections. Developers can then centrally apply the script across multiple Kubernetes clusters instead of having to separately configure each cluster’s settings.

Shipa says streamlining the configuration process enables software teams to deploy new applications faster. According to the startup, its platform can make the software deployment process up to 38% faster. The platform also promises to ease several day-to-day application maintenance tasks. 

“Our goal at Shipa, from the beginning, was to give DevOps and platform engineering teams the capability to choose their own underlying tools with a focus on automation to reduce the complexity of the technology infrastructure required by cloud-native applications,” said co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Bruno Andrade. “Our technology makes deployment and management of applications and updates much easier and faster by letting developers focus on what they do best and not infrastructure.”

Mirantis will integrate Shipa’s technology into its Lens application for managing Kubernetes clusters. The application enables administrators to track the performance of Kubernetes clusters, as well as troubleshoot technical issues and make configuration changes. Lens is used by half the companies on the Fortune 100 list.

Mirantis also plans to integrate Shipa’s software with its Kubernetes Engine, a commercial distribution of Kubernetes. The distribution is based on technology that it obtained through its 2019 purchase of Docker Inc.’s enterprise business. 

“Shipa’s technology puts groundbreaking application discovery, optimization, security and management capabilities in the hands of Lens users,” said Mirantis co-founder and CEO Adrian Ionel. “It will help cloud-native software teams move even faster, freeing them to code and innovate.”

Image: Mirantis