What Is a Container Platform?

A container platform is software that creates, manages, and secures containerized applications. Container management software allows for easier, faster networking and container orchestration. These platforms handle containerized application processes, such as governance, automation, layered security, extensibility, and enterprise support.

There are several types of container platforms:

• Container engines, like Docker and Docker Enterprise Edition, provide a container runtime environment, which enables organizations to create containers, manage container images, and perform basic operations.
• Container orchestrators, such as Kubernetes, enable organizations to manage, govern, and automate containers at scale.
• Managed container platforms, like Google Kubernetes Engine, augment container engines and orchestrators with additional services, like management of the orchestrator and underlying hardware resources.

What Is a Container Platform?

A container platform is software that creates, manages, and secures containerized applications. Container management software allows for easier, faster networking and container orchestration. These platforms handle containerized application processes, such as governance, automation, layered security, extensibility, and enterprise support.

There are several types of container platforms:

• Container engines, like Docker and Docker Enterprise Edition, provide a container runtime environment, which enables organizations to create containers, manage container images, and perform basic operations.
• Container orchestrators, such as Kubernetes, enable organizations to manage, govern, and automate containers at scale.
• Managed container platforms, like Google Kubernetes Engine, augment container engines and orchestrators with additional services, like management of the orchestrator and underlying hardware resources.

What is an SAP Container Platform?

SAP Business Technology Platform, Cloud Foundry environment, supports Docker containers, Kubernetes for virtualization, and containerization.

SAP HANA Express can use Docker containers to build scalable applications.

SAP has developed several open-source Kubernetes projects:

• Gardener, an open-source project offering operation of Kubernetes clusters as a service.
• Kyma, a cloud-native application runtime that combines Kubernetes with a set of tools and open-source components to develop, run, and operate cloud-native applications.

In addition, SAP uses Kubernetes for SAP Data Intelligence cloud service and SAP Data Hub on-premise enterprise data orchestration solution.

Further Resources for SAPinsiders

The Role of Containers in Digital Innovation. In this webinar, Chris Urwin, Head of COE, DevOps, SUSE, discusses how container-based, cloud-native apps orchestrated by Kubernetes are becoming the building blocks of the modern IT infrastructure. Urwin describes how containers can help organizations solve business challenges.