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Kubernetes integration and more in odo 2.0

October 6, 2020
Serena Chechile Nichols Steve Speicher
Related topics:
DevOpsJavaKubernetesNode.jsOperatorsPython
Related products:
Red Hat OpenShift

Share:

    Odo is a developer-focused command-line interface (CLI) for OpenShift and Kubernetes. This article introduces highlights of the odo 2.0 release, which now integrates with Kubernetes. Additional highlights include the new default deployment method in odo 2.0, which uses devfiles for rapid, iterative development. We've also moved Operator deployment out of experimental mode, so you can easily deploy Operator-backed services from the odo command line.

    Odo 2.0 now works with core Kubernetes!

    Odo 2.0 lets you write, build, and deploy applications entirely on Kubernetes. You can use any compliant Kubernetes cluster, whether it's a hosted cloud provider, a self-managed cluster, or hosted locally with a tool like Minikube.

    Odo's integration with Kubernetes provides a consistent development experience. You can write applications from scratch, iterate the development inner loop, and commit your code to Git, all within the same environment.

    To initiate your Kubernetes installation, install the Kubernetes Operator Lifecycle Manager and etcd. See the etcd installation guide on the Kubernetes Operator Hub.

    Deploy with devfiles in odo 2.0

    This major release establishes devfiles as the default deployment method for odo. Odo still supports Source-to-Image (S2I) deployment for developers who prefer using the --s2i flag from the command line.

    A devfile is a YAML file that is used to define the developer workspace in Eclipse Che. Devfiles have an open format, so we can also use them in odo. Odo's support for devfiles lets developers easily switch between tools, with no additional configuration. Using devfiles also streamlines the process of adding new language support to odoand Eclipse Che. Now, you only need to create a devfile from a template and update.

    See the odo tutorial for a guide to deploying your first devfile in odo.

    A common definition for your developer tools

    With the odo 2.0 release, we have aligned on devfiles as the common definition format for developer workspaces and application lifecycles across Red Hat's developer tooling portfolio. Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces (the productized version of Eclispe Che) currently uses devfiles, and all of the OpenShift IDE extensions leverage odo, bringing iterative development and deployment flows directly to developers. You can try out odo directly or access it using IDE extensions for VS Code, Eclipse Che, and the Eclipse desktop IDE.

    Improved language support

    Adding devfiles as the default deployment method improves language support in odo 2.0. To see the list of currently supported devfile components, open your odo CLI and run:

    $ odo catalog list components
    

    Table 1 shows the currently available odo components, including devfile components.

    Table 1: Odo devfile components
    Name Description Registry
    java-maven Upstream Maven and OpenJDK 11 DefaultDevfileRegistry
    java-openliberty Open Liberty microservice in Java DefaultDevfileRegistry
    java-quarkus Upstream Quarkus with Java+GraalVM DefaultDevfileRegistry
    java-springboot Spring Boot using Java DefaultDevfileRegistry
    nodejs Stack with NodeJS 12 DefaultDevfileRegistry

    Odo's new deployment model is available for Java using Quarkus, Node.js, and early access for Python.

    Sample starters for new projects

    As another advantage of using devfiles, you can now leverage sample starters to scaffold new projects. Simply use the odo create command to provide the name of your devfile component. Odo will pull a cloned local copy of a starter from the associated Git repository. Here's an example:

    $ odo create nodejs --starter
    
    Validation
    
     ✓  Checking devfile existence [22411ns]
    
     ✓  Checking devfile compatibility [22492ns]
    
     ✓  Creating a devfile component from registry: DefaultDevfileRegistry [24341ns]
    
     ✓  Validating devfile component [74471ns]
    
    Starter Project
    
     ✓  Downloading starter project nodejs-starter from https://github.com/odo-devfiles/nodejs-ex.git [479ms]
    
    Please use `odo push` command to create the component with source deployed
    

    Debugging with odo

    With this release, the odo debug command has graduated from tech preview. See the odo tutorial for more about debugging application components with the odo CLI or VS Code.

    Using Operators for installation

    Developers can now deploy Operator-backed services with odo. Operators provide custom resource definitions (CRDs), which you can use to create service instances—also known as custom resources (CRs), or operands. You can then use these instances in your projects and link them to your components.

    Here's an example, using the etcd Operator to deploy an Etcd cluster:

    $ odo catalog list services
    
      Operators available in the cluster
    
      NAME                          CRDs
    
      etcdoperator.v0.9.4           EtcdCluster, EtcdBackup, EtcdRestore
    
    $ odo service create etcdoperator.v0.9.4/EtcdCluster
    

    See the odo tutorial for more about deploying Operator-backed services with odo.

    Last updated: June 30, 2023

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