Cloudfleet vs. Red Hat OpenShift
A comparison of two different approaches to enterprise Kubernetes - traditional on-premises and cloud-specific deployments with OpenShift versus a unified, multi-cloud native platform with Cloudfleet
A comparison of two different approaches to enterprise Kubernetes - traditional on-premises and cloud-specific deployments with OpenShift versus a unified, multi-cloud native platform with Cloudfleet
Red Hat OpenShift is a comprehensive enterprise Kubernetes platform that provides a complete application development and deployment stack. Built on top of Kubernetes, it offers integrated developer tools, CI/CD pipelines, container registry, and enterprise-grade security features. OpenShift is particularly popular among large enterprises and organizations with complex compliance requirements.
Cloudfleet takes a fundamentally different approach to enterprise Kubernetes. Instead of adding layers of complexity on top of separate clusters, Cloudfleet provides a single, unified control plane that spans all your environments. This architectural difference enables true multi-cloud and hybrid deployments without the operational overhead of managing multiple, disparate clusters.
Red Hat OpenShift is an enterprise-grade Kubernetes platform developed by Red Hat that extends Kubernetes with additional developer and operational tools. It includes features like integrated CI/CD pipelines (OpenShift Pipelines), a built-in container registry, advanced security policies, and a comprehensive web console. OpenShift comes in multiple deployment models: OpenShift Container Platform (self-managed), Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA), Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO), and OpenShift Dedicated (managed service). While it provides a complete platform-as-a-service experience, it requires significant expertise to deploy and maintain, especially in self-managed configurations.
OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) is the flagship self-managed offering that organizations deploy on their own infrastructure or in public clouds. It provides the most flexibility and control but also requires the most operational overhead. Organizations typically need dedicated platform teams to manage OpenShift clusters, handle upgrades, manage certificate lifecycles, and maintain the various integrated components across multiple environments.
Setting up and deploying OpenShift involves choosing between self-managed installations that require significant infrastructure expertise or managed services that are tied to specific cloud providers. Unlike Cloudfleet’s unified approach, OpenShift deployments typically result in isolated clusters per environment or cloud provider. While OpenShift provides powerful tools within each cluster, connecting and managing multiple OpenShift clusters across different environments introduces complexity in networking, identity management, and policy enforcement.
The core architectural difference lies in cluster boundaries. OpenShift excels at providing a comprehensive platform within the boundaries of individual clusters, but managing multiple OpenShift clusters across clouds and on-premises locations requires additional federation technologies and operational complexity. Cloudfleet eliminates this boundary by providing a single cluster that spans all your infrastructure, fundamentally simplifying multi-cloud and hybrid operations while maintaining the security and compliance features enterprises require.
OpenShift’s comprehensive feature set comes with significant licensing costs, typically charged per CPU core or per cluster, often starting at hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for enterprise deployments. These costs compound when deploying across multiple environments, as each cluster requires separate licensing. Additionally, the operational complexity of managing multiple OpenShift clusters requires specialized skills and dedicated teams, further increasing the total cost of ownership.
Cloudfleet’s unified architecture dramatically reduces both licensing and operational costs. By eliminating the need for multiple cluster licenses and reducing the complexity of multi-environment management, organizations can achieve better cost predictability while maintaining enterprise-grade capabilities. The transparent, consumption-based pricing model makes it easier to forecast and control infrastructure costs as you scale.
When comparing OpenShift and Cloudfleet, it’s important to evaluate how each platform addresses enterprise requirements around security, compliance, developer experience, and operational efficiency across multi-cloud and hybrid environments.
| Features |
|
|
|---|---|---|
Core ArchitectureThe fundamental approach to managing multi-environment infrastructure. |
Provides a comprehensive platform-as-a-service stack within individual clusters, requiring federation or external tools to connect multiple clusters across environments. | Creates a single, unified Kubernetes cluster that spans multiple clouds and on-premise locations, eliminating cluster boundaries and federation complexity. |
Secure Cloud IntegrationThe method for accessing cloud provider APIs. |
Requires manual credential configuration, OpenShift-specific cloud provider operators, or reliance on platform-specific integrations that vary by deployment model. | Integrates Workload Identity Federation for secure, keyless API access to cloud providers, simplifying credential management and enhancing security posture. |
Support ModelThe scope and nature of available support. |
Red Hat provides comprehensive support for OpenShift platform components, but support for underlying infrastructure, networking, and cloud provider integrations varies by deployment model. | Community support is included in the Basic tier. The Pro tier includes end-to-end support with SLAs covering the entire stack. Enterprise-grade support is available as an optional addon. |
Pricing ModelThe cost structure of the platform. |
Subscription-based per-core or per-cluster licensing that can cost hundreds of thousands annually for enterprise deployments, with costs multiplying across multiple environments. | Offers a transparent, pay-as-you-go pricing model. The Basic tier is free for individual developers and small teams, while the Pro tier includes enterprise-grade support without hidden fees or per-node licensing. |
Vendor neutralityThe ability to work across different infrastructure providers without vendor lock-in. |
Supports multi-cloud deployments but managed services (ROSA, ARO) tie you to specific cloud providers, while self-managed deployments require separate clusters per environment. |
Designed to work across all major cloud providers and on-prem infrastructure from a single control plane, allowing users to avoid lock-in while benefiting from a consistent experience. |
Management ModelWho is responsible for managing the platform and its underlying components. |
Self-managed OCP requires dedicated platform teams for installation, upgrades, and maintenance. Managed services reduce overhead but limit flexibility and increase cloud provider lock-in. |
Fully managed service. Cloudfleet handles the entire lifecycle of the platform, from the control plane to infrastructure, so you can focus on your applications. |
NetworkingHow the platform handles networking across clusters and environments. |
Provides robust networking within individual clusters via OpenShift SDN or OVN-Kubernetes, but connecting multiple OpenShift clusters requires additional federation technologies and complex networking setup. |
Comes with an encrypted, peer-to-peer overlay network that enables secure, seamless communication across all environments. Cloudfleet supports multi-cloud and on-prem networking out of the box, including DNS and service exposure. |
Developer ExperienceTools and workflows provided for application development and deployment. |
Comprehensive developer toolset including integrated CI/CD pipelines, built-in container registry, web console, and extensive CLI tools, but complexity increases when working across multiple clusters. |
Streamlined developer experience with standard Kubernetes APIs and tooling, plus enhanced multi-cloud capabilities that work seamlessly across all environments without cluster boundaries. |
Cost optimizationHow the platform helps reduce infrastructure and operational costs. |
Requires manual configuration of cluster autoscaling, resource quotas, and cost management policies across multiple clusters, with optimization strategies varying by cloud provider and deployment model. |
Built-in cost optimization features such as dynamic autoscaling, node pooling, and workload-aware provisioning help reduce infrastructure costs across all environments with minimal configuration. |
Choosing the right platform depends on your organizational priorities and technical requirements. OpenShift is a proven solution for enterprises that need a comprehensive, integrated development platform and can manage the complexity and costs of multiple separate clusters. However, if you want to simplify your multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure while maintaining enterprise-grade capabilities, Cloudfleet offers a more streamlined approach. Our unified architecture eliminates cluster boundaries, reduces operational overhead, and provides transparent pricing, allowing your teams to focus on building applications rather than managing complex platform integrations across multiple environments.
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