NetApp: Project Astra Software-Defined Platform in Development With Kubernetes Community

NetApp, Inc. introduced Project Astra, a vision for a software-defined platform that is currently in development with the Kubernetes community.

It will deliver an easy-to-consume enterprise storage and data services platform for Kubernetes that enables both application and data portability for stateful applications.

Although companies everywhere are rapidly adopting Kubernetes, many organizations lack reliable data and application services, and have difficulty making application data as portable as the applications themselves are in Kubernetes. Yet to meet the standards that CIOs expect, IT teams and site reliability engineers must find a way to store, govern, protect, and replicate the data for both stateless and stateful cloud-native applications with enterprise cloud storage and data services.

Project Astra is being purpose-built for and in collaboration with Kubernetes developers and operations managers to help bridge the gap that exists between the popularity of containers today, the capabilities and user experience they require, and their ability to deliver portability. NetApp’s vision for Project Astra is to enable companies to work with their choice of Kubernetes distribution, on any cloud.

Project Astra leverages the underlying technology delivered through the firm’s public cloud partners and enhances it through Kubernetes-native integration of data services with applications.

The company is working with the Kubernetes community to further develop technology that advances the user experience and extends the promise of Kubernetes to data-rich workloads.

Together, the firm and the Kubernetes community are building a platform to:

Discover applications with your Kubernetes of choice, whether on your premises or in any cloud
Integrate and unify applications and data management
Deliver the company’s expertise in data and Kubernetes both as a service and as built-in capabilities
Extend the promise of portability for all workloads, including stateful, data-rich apps

“Project Astra represents the next major step in the evolution of storage and data services for Kubernetes,” said Anthony Lye, SVP and GM, cloud data services business unit. “We are making a decisive and long-term commitment to addressing the data challenges of Kubernetes, together with the communities and platforms that use it. Project Astra will provide a software-defined architecture and set of tools that can plug into any Kubernetes distribution and management environment.“

Project Astra builds on the company’s experience in enabling customers to manage petabytes of container data with NetApp Trident and Kubernetes Services and adds a specific focus on the developers and operations managers who are innovating with containers today.

“As the first product manager for Kubernetes with Google back in 2014, I’m thrilled to be at NetApp as we continue to lead the effort to tackle the very real challenges that organizations are facing,” said Eric Han, VP, product management, cloud data services business unit “I’ve been inspired by the potential of Kubernetes to transform IT services-and by the passion of the community that has helped to build Kubernetes to its prominence today. In a few short years, Kubernetes has become the de facto choice in orchestrating container environments. Yet there is still potential, and a need, to further evolve. With Project Astra, NetApp is delivering on the true promise of portability that professionals working with Kubernetes require today and is working in parallel with the community and our customers to make all data managed, protected, and portable, wherever it exists.“

Kubernetes developers and operations managers who are interested in participating can sign up.

Project Astra is available as a technology preview. There is no commitment that all features will become available in a future product.

Resources:
NetApp’s vision for Project Astra
Blog: The Promise of Stateful Applications in the Cloud: A New Era for Kubernetes