Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Packer VS Red Hat OpenShift

Compare Packer VS Red Hat OpenShift and see what are their differences

Packer logo Packer

Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.

Red Hat OpenShift logo Red Hat OpenShift

Application and Data, Application Hosting, and Platform as a Service
  • Packer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15
  • Red Hat OpenShift Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-01

Packer features and specs

  • Multi-Provider Support
    Packer supports a wide variety of providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, VMware, and more. This allows for flexibility and the ability to create machine images across different environments.
  • Automation
    Packer automates the creation of machine images, eliminating the need for manual image configuration and reducing the potential for human error.
  • Script Reusability
    Packer allows for the reuse of scripts and configuration files, enabling a consistent and repeatable process for image creation.
  • Parallel Builds
    Packer can build multiple images in parallel, which can significantly speed up the provisioning process.
  • Idempotency
    Packer ensures that the output machine image is always an identical result given the same input configuration, reducing the risk of inconsistencies.

Possible disadvantages of Packer

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The variety of features and flexibility that Packer offers can make it complex and challenging to learn, especially for beginners.
  • Limited Debugging Tools
    Packer's debugging tools are not as mature or as integrated as those found in some other DevOps tools, making troubleshooting more difficult.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Complex configurations with multiple builders and provisioners can become hard to manage and maintain, leading to potential errors.
  • No State Management
    Unlike Terraform, Packer does not manage state, which means users need to handle state management separately if required.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    Packer often relies on external scripts and tools for provisioning, which can introduce additional dependencies and complexities.

Red Hat OpenShift features and specs

  • Integration with Red Hat Ecosystem
    OpenShift offers tight integration with Red Hat's extensive ecosystem, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Red Hat Ansible Automation, and Red Hat Middleware, providing a seamless experience for enterprises already using Red Hat products.
  • Comprehensive Security Features
    OpenShift provides robust security features including fine-grained access controls, built-in OAuth authentication, and automatic security updates, making it easier to maintain a secure containerized environment.
  • Enterprise Support
    Red Hat offers professional, enterprise-grade support for OpenShift, providing an added layer of reliability and assistance for resolving issues and ensuring smooth operations.
  • Consistent Hybrid Cloud Experience
    OpenShift provides a consistent platform across on-premises, public cloud, and hybrid cloud environments, enabling organizations to avoid vendor lock-in and deploy applications flexibly.
  • Developer-Friendly Tools
    Features like integrated CI/CD pipelines, automated build and deploy processes, and a rich set of developer tools make it easier for developers to create and deploy applications quickly.

Possible disadvantages of Red Hat OpenShift

  • Complexity
    OpenShift can be complex to set up and manage, especially for teams that are not already familiar with Kubernetes and container orchestration concepts.
  • Cost
    The enterprise version of OpenShift can be expensive, which might be a barrier for small businesses or startups.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a steep learning curve associated with OpenShift, requiring significant time and effort to master, particularly for organizations new to container management and orchestration.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running OpenShift can be resource-intensive, demanding substantial CPU, memory, and storage resources, which could be a challenge for smaller or resource-constrained environments.
  • Dependency on Red Hat Technologies
    While integration with Red Hat's ecosystem is a pro, it could also be a con for organizations that do not use Red Hat products or prefer to avoid dependency on a single vendor for their software stack.

Packer videos

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Red Hat OpenShift videos

Red Hat OpenShift overview

More videos:

  • Demo - Red Hat OpenShift 4.3 Demo with Shadow-Soft

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Packer and Red Hat OpenShift)
DevOps Tools
58 58%
42% 42
Continuous Integration And Delivery
Other Infrastructure Tools
Developer Tools
68 68%
32% 32

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Packer and Red Hat OpenShift

Packer Reviews

Introduction to Top Open Source Virtualization Tools
Packer is notably light, high performing, and operates on every major operating system. It assembles and configures all the necessary components for a virtual machine then creates images that run on multiple platforms. Packer doesn’t replace configuration management tools like Puppet or Chef; as a matter of fact, when creating images, Packer can utilize tools like Puppet or...

Red Hat OpenShift Reviews

We have no reviews of Red Hat OpenShift yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Packer should be more popular than Red Hat OpenShift. It has been mentiond 9 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Packer mentions (9)

  • Failed to connect to the host via SSH on Ubuntu 22.04
    If you have just upgraded to Ubuntu 22.04, and you suddenly experience either errors when trying to ssh into hosts, or when running ansible or again when running the ansible provisioner building a packer image, this is probably going to be useful for you. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Create a minimalist OS using Docker Containers and Hashicorp Packer
    I am already using Hashicorp Packer at work and for personal projects and I wanted to test This idea out by wrapping it a single Packer Template file. This reduces the level of maintaining a lot of small scripts, Dockerfiles and configurations and the user can simply trigger a couple of Commands to get a minimalist OS at the end of the process. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • After self-hosting my email for twenty-three years I have thrown in the towel. The oligopoly has won.
    And while it is a slight increase in complexity, it can be an overall net gain in functionality, configurability and reliability. Much like Packer is far more reliable and practical than manually making VM images sitting in front of a terminal, even though making the initial configuration takes some time. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Customized Ubuntu Images using Packer + QEMU + Cloud-Init & UEFI bootloading
    Hashicorp Packer provides a nice wrapper / abstraction over the QEMU in order to boot the image and use it to set it up on first-boot. Instead of writing really long commands in order to boot up the image using QEMU, Packer provided a nice Configuration Template in a more Readable fashion. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • The journey of sharing a wired USB printer over the network
    Packer seemed like the perfect tool for the job. I have never used it before and wanted to get familiar with the tool. It doesn't come with ARM support out of the box, but there are two community projects to fill that niche. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
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Red Hat OpenShift mentions (1)

  • The biggest threats to Red Hat’s Linux market share will come from the companies that make it easiest for developers to do their jobs.
    There is a free Openshift sandbox you can deploy here: https://developers.redhat.com/products/openshift/getting-started. Source: almost 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Packer and Red Hat OpenShift, you can also consider the following products

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

HHVM - HHVM is an open-source virtual machine designed for executing programs written in Hack and PHP.

RunDeck - RunDeck is an open source automation service with a web console, command line tools and a WebAPI.

Juju - Juju is a open source, solution-driven orchestration tool from Ubuntu that helps you deploy, manage and scale your environments on any cloud