Gimlet is an open-source Internal Developer Platform (IDP) solution designed to streamline application deployment and management on Kubernetes. It empowers development teams to self-serve, deploying applications quickly and reliably without needing deep Kubernetes expertise. Gimlet achieves this by providing a simplified, opinionated interface and automating common deployment tasks, reducing the cognitive load on developers and improving overall developer velocity and satisfaction.
Gimlet provides a centralized management layer for environments, allowing platform engineers to define and enforce policies. This ensures consistency and security across deployments. Key use cases include simplifying Kubernetes onboarding for developers, managing multiple environments efficiently, and enabling self-service deployments while maintaining governance and compliance.
Gimlet is an Internal Developer Platform (IDP) that aims to simplify application deployment and management on Kubernetes, enabling developers to self-serve their application needs without requiring deep Kubernetes expertise. It streamlines the entire deployment workflow, from code to production, and integrates with existing CI/CD pipelines.
Key Features
- Self-Service Deployments: Developers can deploy their applications with a few clicks or commands, reducing reliance on platform teams for every deployment.
- Environment Management: Centralized management of application environments, allowing platform engineers to define and enforce policies and guardrails.
- GitOps Integration: Integrates with GitOps workflows to manage Kubernetes manifests, ensuring that the desired state of applications is always synchronized from Git.
- Rollback Capabilities: Provides easy rollback mechanisms to revert to previous versions of applications in case of issues.
- Preview Environments: Supports the creation of ephemeral preview environments for pull requests, enabling early testing and feedback.
- Simplified Interface: Offers a user-friendly interface and CLI to interact with Kubernetes, abstracting away much of the underlying complexity.
Benefits
- Increased Developer Velocity: Accelerates the deployment process, allowing developers to iterate faster and deliver features more quickly.
- Reduced Cognitive Load: Lowers the barrier to entry for developers working with Kubernetes, as they don’t need to be Kubernetes experts.
- Improved Consistency & Governance: Ensures that deployments adhere to organizational standards and policies through centralized controls.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Streamlines communication and workflows between development, operations, and QA teams.
- Operational Efficiency: Automates repetitive deployment tasks, freeing up platform engineers to focus on higher-value initiatives.
License Details
Gimlet is Source-Available. It is free for non-profit organizations and individual use. However, commercial use requires an annual purchase. Please refer to the official GitHub repository or website for the most up-to-date and precise licensing terms.