Tanzu Application Platform is a packaged set of components that helps developers and operators to more easily build, deploy, and manage apps on a Kubernetes platform.
Tanzu Application Platform simplifies workflows in both the inner loop and outer loop of Kubernetes-based app development:
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Inner Loop: The inner loop describes a developer’s local development environment where they code and test apps. The activities that take place in the inner loop include writing code, committing to a version control system, deploying to a development or staging environment, testing, and then making additional code changes.
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Outer Loop: The outer loop describes the steps to deploy apps to production and maintain them over time. For example, on a cloud-native platform, the outer loop includes activities such as building container images, adding container security, and configuring continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) pipelines.
On a cloud-native or Kubernetes platform, developers often spend additional time in the inner loop to build container images as well as connect their app to all necessary services, apps, or APIs to deploy it to a development environment.
Outer loop activities can also be more difficult for operators in a Kubernetes-based development environment because of the need to construct an app delivery platform from various third-party and open source components, each with numerous configuration options.
Tanzu Application Platform provides a default set of components that automate the steps required to push an app to staging and production on Kubernetes. It also allows operators to customize the platform as needed by replacing Tanzu Application Platform components with existing or preferred products.
This reduces the complexity of deploying apps on Kubernetes by enabling operators to better automate and standardize the outer loop, while allowing developers more time to focus on code.
Tanzu Application Platform v0.2 (Beta) includes the following components:
| Component Name | Version | Link to Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Application Accelerator for VMware Tanzu (Beta) | v0.2.0 | Application Accelerator for VMware Tanzu |
| Application Live View for VMware Tanzu (Beta) | v0.1.0 | Application Live View for VMware Tanzu |
| Cloud Native Runtimes for VMware Tanzu | v1.0.2 | Cloud Native Runtimes |
| VMware Tanzu Build Service | v1.2.2 | Tanzu Build Service |
You can install the Tanzu Application Platform components in one of two ways:
- Install as a package bundle (Recommended): Installing the components as part of the TAP repo bundle allows you to use the default, recommended Tanzu Application Platform experience. To install the TAP repo bundle, see Installing Tanzu Application Platform.
- Install components individually: You can also choose to use the Tanzu Application Platform components independently of one another on an existing Kubernetes platform. For information about how to install and use each component, see the documentation for the components listed in the table above.
To follow a tutorial that shows how to use Tanzu Application Platform v0.2 (Beta-2) components to deploy a sample app, see Tutorial: Install and Deploy the Spring Pet Clinic App.