A startup called Cycle.io is teaming up with bare-metal server infrastructure provider Packet Host Inc. to take on Kubernetes with a rival container orchestration platform.

Upending Kubernetes might seem like a pretty ambitious goal for an unknown startup such as Cycle. After all, Kubernetes has already grown into a monster, by far and away the most popular container orchestration software in use today.

Although it’s open-source, Kubernetes was born from the combined efforts of dozens of Google Inc.’s most talented software engineers. It has easily fended off the challenge of solid rival projects such as Docker Inc.’s Swarm and the open-source Apache Mesos software.

Taking on such a well-known and well-funded project might therefore seem like an impossible task, something akin to David vs. Goliath. But Jake Warner, the startup’s chief executive officer, begs to differ. He told SiliconANGLE that Cycle’s alternative container orchestrator, written almost from scratch to take on Kubernetes, is focused on fulfilling a niche demand for companies that require what he calls a “highly customized container cloud” they can get up and running in minutes.

“Where Kubernetes can be customized and configured to solve just about any use case, Cycle focuses on solving the needs for what most organizations require,” Warner said in an interview. “With Cycle, organizations can deploy a bare-metal private cloud, built for containers, within 15 minutes. Companies don’t have to write any code, configure any servers or build or secure any networks.”

Cycle is partnering with Packet to deploy its product on the latter’s bare-metal infrastructure in the cloud. The partnership means that users can quickly fire up a “highly performant container private cloud,” without writing a single line of code or logging into a single server, the company said.

Essentially, then, Cycle’s biggest advantage over Kubernetes is its speed, and that alone will entice some developers to give it a try, Warner said.

“Businesses who have been working with containers, using technologies like Kubernetes or Docker Swarm, have gotten really excited about the idea of using Cycle after seeing a demo,” he said. “When these organizations are able to see how quickly they can begin deploying containers, and how much time they can save by no longer having to manage their container orchestrators, it enables them to reallocate their resources to their core products and offerings.

Cycle also delivers some performance and security benefits over Kubernetes, Warner said. By deploying on Packet’s bare-metal servers, Cycle removes the traditional virtualization layer required to run containers, thereby improving performance. The bare-metal server also helps to physically separate user’s data from the internet, adding another layer of protection.

“Cycle won’t solve the requirements of all companies, but most don’t need a highly customized container cloud — and this is where we focus,” Warner said.

Image: Cycle.io