Packaged server application provider Bitnami released Kubeapps, an open source and free application deployment environment that allows enterprises to discover, launch, and manage pre-packaged Kubernetes-ready applications and developer tools from within their Kubernetes cluster.

Bitnami has contributed to previous Kubernetes projects including Helm, a Kubernetes package manager; Monocular, a search and discovery front-end for Helm Chart repositories; and Kubeless, a configuring application that runs on Kubernetes. The new product builds on these contributions and provides a simple method of deploying applications in a Kubernetes environment.

Kubeapps provides users with a command line interface (CLI) to bootstrap required tools onto a Kubernetes cluster; an in-cluster console for discovery and deployment of Helm charts and Kubeless serverless functions; and a community hub to discover, rate and review pre-packaged Kubernetes applications.

The release repackages many of Bitnami’s existing Kubernetes projects and contributions into a single experience. Primarily, Kubeapps builds on Bitnami’s click-to-deploy applications and other Kubernetes tools.

Bitnami leads the Kubeless open source native serverless computing framework and has risen as a popular choice among companies looking to add access to the Kubeless serverless application.

The serverless architecture, in a similar fashion to containers, reduces the amount of overhead associated with offering services in the cloud and allows cloud providers to dynamically manage server resources. Kubeless provides a function-as-a-service (FaaS) solution that runs on top of a Kubernetes cluster.