Architectural design

MicroShift is a single-node container orchestration runtime that extends the benefits of containerized applications to low-resource edge environments.

Because MicroShift is primarily a platform for deploying applications, only the APIs and features essential to operating in edge and small form factor computing environments are included.

For example, MicroShift has only the following Kubernetes node capabilities:

  • Networking

  • Ingress

  • Storage

MicroShift also provides the following Kubernetes functions:

  • Orchestration

  • Security

To optimize your deployments, use MicroShift with a compatible operating system, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Edge (RHEL for Edge). Using MicroShift and Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Edge (RHEL for Edge) together forms Red Hat Device Edge. Virtual machines are handled by the operating system in MicroShift deployments.

<{product-title} is tasked with only the Kubernetes node services networking
Figure 1. {product-title} as part of Red Hat Device Edge.

The following operational differences from OpenShift Kubernetes Engine can help you understand where you can deploy MicroShift:

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