Find the Best Platform Engineering Solution

Configure8 is an internal developer portal that organizes information about your applications, services, environments and development tools. The platform's centerpiece is the universal catalog, which displays the services, environments and resources that power your applications and maps their dependencies across your cloud-based and on-premises infrastructure.

Key additional features of Configure8 are scorecards to enable organizational standards for measuring and understanding software development metrics, self-service action capabilities wrapped in a no-code interface to spin up new services and improve the developer workflow, and robust features to collaboratively manage cloud costs through granular visibility and self-service control.

VMware Tanzu is a comprehensive suite designed to create, run and manage modern, cloud native applications, significantly enhancing the developer experience. Adopting a Platform as a Product approach, the products in the Tanzu suite collectively facilitate efficient application development, providing a runtime for microservices, automating container creation and management, and supporting multi-cloud Kubernetes operations. Each product focuses on specific capabilities, yet they harmonize to provide a holistic, seamless solution.

A unique feature of Tanzu is the introduction of Cartographer conventions. These allow operations teams to define cross-cutting behaviors in a manner directly relevant to developers' intents. This collaborative bridge between development and operations teams promotes innovation and fosters cloud native practices without sacrificing security or efficiency.

For an organization investing in VMware's suite, stitching together all or some of these tools can help optimize platform performance, manage processes efficiently and monitor the system effectively.

Cloudify is a cloud orchestration and automation platform tailored for DevOps teams managing multi-cloud environments. It excels in automating the deployment, scaling, and management of applications across various cloud providers, making it ideal for complex cloud-native applications and hybrid cloud setups. Key features include blueprint modeling, workflow automation, and integration with DevOps tools. Cloudify's open-source nature allows for customization, making it versatile for a wide range of use cases, from simple cloud automation to intricate multi-cloud orchestration. However, it may be less suited for organizations looking for out-of-the-box solutions with minimal customization.

Humanitec helps organizations build their internal developer platforms and achieve golden paths for developers with three principal solutions: the Platform Orchestrator, Score and Drivers.

The Platform Orchestrator reads the workload specification (the environment-agnostic request) and generates standardized application and infrastructure configurations with every deployment. Score allows developers to describe their workloads and dependencies as code only once and then run them across all environments. Finally, Drivers work with the Platform Orchestrator to provision, update or connect to resources in the specific manner required by the developer or workload.

Together, these tools help organizations convert their traditional or legacy CI/CD infrastructure into one based on modern platform-centric tooling oriented toward maximizing developer productivity.

Backstage, an open source platform initially developed by Spotify, revolutionizes the management of developer services and infrastructure. It showcases a unified frontend, consolidating services, documentation, and infrastructure tooling in a standardized format.

At its core, Backstage houses five critical features. The software catalog offers centralized management of all software components and services, streamlining oversight. A scaffolder facilitates the rapid creation of service components, bolstering efficiency. Techdocs, a unique doc-like code solution, provides a reliable hub for technical documentation. Backstage Search equips organizations with the tools to locate pertinent information within its ecosystem. Lastly, Backstage Kubernetes continuously monitors all service components, offering real-time insights.

From handling backend services, websites and libraries to managing data pipelines, Backstage promotes an organized and practical approach to infrastructure management. Its blend of centralized control and ease-of-use positions it as an invaluable tool in any developer's toolkit.

Built by Upbound, CrossPlane is an open source and cloud native framework under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) for building control planes without code. It is highly extensible, allowing you to provision and consume infrastructure on any cloud provider using the Kubernetes API, has a highly configurable frontend for defining declarative APIs, supports resource management on the major cloud providers, and integrates with many popular cloud native tools.

CrossPlane emphasizes the Infrastructure as Code philosophy, allowing users to define their application's desired state through reusable and version-controlled configurations based on four building blocks: packages, providers, managed resources, and composite resources. Packages allow developers to extend functionality. Providers are packages that enable provisioning infrastructure on an external service. Finally, managed resources are based on Kubernetes, whereas composite resources comprise multiple managed resources.

SpaceLift is a platform designed for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) management and CI/CD processes, making cloud stack automation and orchestration seamless. It helps DevOps teams manage their infrastructure more cohesively, integrate changes quickly and safely, and enforce robust policies. The platform is compatible with popular IaC tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible, Kubernetes and others, promising compatibility and flexibility.

A standout feature of SpaceLift is its ability to automatically deploy stacks, linking the source code to the resources it manages, thereby reducing manual mistakes and enhancing efficiency. SpaceLift's drift detection also keeps infrastructure in its intended state by highlighting inconsistencies. The integrated dashboard offers a consolidated view of the infrastructure's health, giving vital information at a glance. Another central concept of SpaceLift is "Contexts", which are grouped configuration activities tied to individual projects so you can cut down on the overhead of managing project environments. Finally, SpaceLift efficiently runs workflows with its worker pools, promoting higher productivity.

Through these key features and concepts, SpaceLift fosters a secure and streamlined cloud ecosystem, allowing teams to capitalize on the power of IaC and CI/CD for improved operational efficiency.

Port is a no-code platform, empowering platform engineers to construct comprehensive internal developer portals that enhance the developer experience and accelerate delivery. Its highly extensible architecture revolves around four principal elements: Software Catalog, Self-Service Actions, Scorecards, and Workflow Automation.

The Software Catalog is a central metadata repository that organizes information on software, environments, and resources for efficient access and management. Self-Service Actions foster developer independence by streamlining everyday tasks like service scaffolding or cloud resource provisioning. Scorecards apply predefined rules to rate Port entities based on their properties, establishing a culture of quality and compliance by tracking key metrics and promoting standards. The fourth cornerstone, Workflow Automation, enables the streamlining of intricate DevOps workflows by integrating seamlessly with the internal developer portal's API, thereby reducing manual overhead and the risk of error.

Additionally, Port presents a dynamic inventorying architecture that supports CI/CD flows, clusters, dev environments, pipelines and deployments. Its system also offers role-based access control and advanced search and query functionality.

Rafay is a Kubernetes Management Platform designed to help platform teams manage the complete lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters and modern applications. The Kubernetes Operations Platform (KOP) from Rafay provides automation capabilities for developers and operations personnel to manage Kubernetes clusters seamlessly.

Key features of Rafay include drift detection, cluster multitenancy management, automated Kubernetes cluster provisioning and a Backstage plugin for building an internal developer portal. It also offers cluster blueprints for templatizing and enforcing configurations across Kubernetes clusters, facilitating consistent management and efficient operation.

Calico by Tigera is a cloud native application protection platform offering observability features for containers and Kubernetes. Available in three editions – Calico Open Source, Calico Cloud and Calico Enterprise – Calico delivers robust features for egress access controls, visibility, and troubleshooting, enterprise security controls, firewall extensions to Kubernetes, self-service security policies, and micro-segmentation.

With a modular data plane, Calico promotes a flexible approach to networking. Its enterprise edition offers a dynamic service graph, showcasing a graphical representation of microservices and deployments, and comprehensive features for full-stack observability.

Env0 is an advanced Infrastructure as Code (IaC) automation platform dedicated to simplifying the management of cloud native and multicloud environments. Primarily, it empowers DevOps teams to exercise precise control over cloud resources, implement solid governance policies and enhance operational efficiency. It also leverages the power of popular IaC tools such as Terraform, AWS CloudFormation or Google Cloud Deployment Manager, enabling users to define their infrastructure configurations as code.

Critical features of Env0 include support for self-service environments, which grants developers the independence to manage their environments while ensuring governance. It offers cost management tools, providing vital insights to optimize resource utilization and curb unnecessary spending. Env0 also extends customizable workflows to effectively manage multiple IaC stacks and their dependencies. These workflows allow teams to tailor their processes according to specific project requirements and governance rules, boosting productivity and reducing risks.

Env0 presents a comprehensive and robust solution for efficient cloud management in the modern, complex cloud landscape by offering a fusion of cloud management and infrastructure automation.

Ambassador Labs' Telepresence connects your local developer environment, network and file system to any remote Kubernetes cluster (i.e., local-to-remote dev environments), so you can test remotely with the same ease of testing in your local environment. As a result, Telepresence allows you to provide your team with an improved developer experience, enhanced collaboration and faster response cycles.

Ambassador Labs delivers a developer-centric approach to platform engineering with native Kubernetes integrations, making it an ideal solution for organizations already leveraging Kubernetes for container orchestration needs. Furthermore, pairing Telepresence with the GitOps-friendly Ambassador Cloud lets you view and manage Kubernetes-based services across the entire software development lifecycle. At the same time, Ambassador's Edge Stack API gateway can also improve overall platform visibility and traffic management.

Cycloid offers an easy-to-use self-service portal with a cloud cost estimator, which lets developers build, test, deploy, and interact with infrastructure autonomously while focusing on sustainable business practices.

Cycloid's features, like pipelines, infrastructure views and automation KPIs, allow platform teams to get comprehensive observability over the platform. It also provides a self-service catalog of "stacks" replicated from manually-deployed infrastructure so that the operations team can automate processes and service deployment for increased efficiency and an enhanced developer experience.

The HashiCorp Cloud Platform offers a range of services focused on infrastructure automation and management, security, multicloud service networking and application deployment workflows. HashiCorp aims to standardize developer access across multicloud environments and automate workflows, connecting all its services through the HashiCorp Virtual Network (HVN).

HashiCorp's popular open source offering, Terraform, delivers Infrastructure as Code by transforming cloud APIs into declarative configuration files. Its technical principles center around simplicity, modularity, versioning through codification, product immutability and pragmatic workflows.

Dell's APEX is a subscription-based service specializing in hardware provisioning and monitoring for hybrid cloud environments. The APEX console provides a user-friendly interface with self-service access to a diverse catalog of cloud services.

APEX offers integrated support for Azure Cloud, RedHat OpenShift and VMware alongside a host of supplementary services, including data storage, backup, analytics, and container services. As part of Dell's endeavor to streamline multicloud experiences, APEX is a cornerstone of its multicloud strategy.

Atlantis, an open source platform initially developed by Hootsuite, is an innovative multicloud solution to enhance and automate Infrastructure as Code (IaC) deployment. It integrates seamlessly with version control systems such as GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, acting as an automation server for Terraform workflows using pull requests. This platform offers robust tools for managing infrastructure changes across diverse cloud providers, simplifying collaboration and accelerating delivery.

Critical features of Atlantis include automated plan and apply functions, which streamline the adoption and enforcement of infrastructure changes. Policy-driven controls ensure adherence to compliance standards, reducing risk and enhancing security. Atlantis also provides the flexibility to configure different Terraform configurations for distinct branches or environments, accommodating various workflows and pipelines across an organization. It supports multiple Terraform versions, allowing organizations to work with other versions simultaneously. Furthermore, Atlantis facilitates the isolated execution of Terraform commands, bolstering security and preventing unintended cross-contamination between tasks.

Atlantis's powerful features and flexible configurations suite ensures efficient, secure and compliant IaC deployment, promoting a smooth DevOps experience.

Scalr is a cloud management platform designed for enterprises seeking cost control, governance, and automation across multiple cloud environments. It is well-suited for large organizations with complex cloud setups, offering features like policy-driven automation, centralized visibility, and self-service provisioning. Scalr's environment-centric approach ensures compliance and optimizes cloud spending, making it ideal for managing public, private, and hybrid clouds. It excels in scenarios requiring granular control over access and resources. However, smaller businesses or those with simpler cloud needs might find Scalr's extensive features and focus on enterprise-scale environments more than they need.

Mia-Platform is an internal developer platform (IDP) designed to optimize the delivery and lifecycle management of cloud native applications. It is a one-stop solution for platform teams, software engineers and IT leaders, elevating productivity, facilitating governance and expediting delivery. It provides an all-encompassing suite of services, including built-in CI/CD, microservices development and orchestration, and API management. These services work in tandem to ensure a smooth developer experience.

The Mia Platform Console, a unified developer hub, allows organizations to govern all projects in one place, thereby industrializing and automating DevOps operations. It has a marketplace filled with ready-to-use templates and plugins designed to supercharge development, and its Fast Data service enables organizations to create a Digital Integration Hub architecture, effectively decoupling backend systems for increased flexibility and performance.

Mia-Platform adopts a multi-Git provider approach, fully compatible with all Kubernetes providers, ensuring versatility and adaptability in the ever-evolving cloud landscape.

DuploCloud is a low-code/no-code automation platform designed to streamline infrastructure provisioning, enhance observability, and enforce built-in security and compliance measures. It provides an application-centric abstraction layer over the cloud provider, enabling users to deploy applications without in-depth DevOps knowledge. DuploCloud also includes a feature-rich IDE with debugging tools, syntax highlighting and smart code completion, providing an excellent coding experience.

Kratix is an open source framework to support platform teams by delivering a curated Kubernetes-native Platform as a Product. The Kratix platform comprises three main elements: Platform APIs, a general interface for platform consumers; Promises, which are YAML documents that establish the contract between the platform and its users; and Clusters, a registry of Kratix Worker Clusters.

By leveraging GitOps workflow and Kubernetes-native constructs, Kratix provides a flexible solution for building secure, up-to-date platforms. It facilitates the incorporation of business-specific requirements and streamlines the experience for application teams by mitigating complexity.