What is OpenShift Container Platform?

OpenShift Container Platform, developed by Red Hat, is a comprehensive enterprise Kubernetes distribution that integrates security controls, developer tools, CI/CD, monitoring, and a service mesh on top of the core Kubernetes engine. It operates on Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS, using CRI-O as the container runtime, and provides a complete platform rather than a base layer for users to assemble. Key features include Security Context Constraints (SCCs) for default-deny security, OpenShift Pipelines and GitOps for CI/CD, and OpenShift Service Mesh for traffic management. OpenShift supports deployments on various infrastructures including on-premises and public clouds like AWS, Azure, and GCP, with managed services like ROSA and ARO available. The platform addresses operational needs through integrated tools but requires significant platform engineering expertise, making it more complex to manage compared to managed Kubernetes services. Northflank emerges as an alternative for enterprises seeking similar governance capabilities without the operational overhead, offering a fully managed platform with built-in controls such as RBAC, SSO, and audit logging, eliminating the need for a dedicated platform engineering team.