Red Hat Unveils Atomic Host Platform for Docker Containers

Red Hat (RHT) has taken a major step toward carving out its slice of the containerization pie with the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Atomic Host, an open source operating system tailored for running Docker and other container-based app platforms.

Atomic Host, which Red Hat released March 5, is designed to streamline the process required to containerize any app that runs on modern versions of the company’s flagship Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) platform. The new product is based, in part, on Project Atomic, an open source, community-based project for building hosting platforms for containerized apps that launched in 2014.

There are important differences, however, between Atomic Host and Project Atomic, which is currently compatible with several Linux distributions related to RHEL—including CentOS and Fedora—in addition to RHEL itself. According to Red Hat, Atomic Host provides an enterprise-class containerization environment that prioritizes security, integration with other platforms, compatibility certification and commercial support.

Atomic Host pairs “innovative open technology with the stability and security required by the enterprise,” said Jim Totton, vice president and general manager, Platforms Business Unit, Red Hat. “More than just an addition to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux portfolio, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Atomic Host showcases the future of the enterprise application, a powerful, flexible application greater than the sum of its parts, and entirely fueled by the power of open innovation.”

For Red Hat, then, Atomic Host is at the center of open source solutions for the rapidly expanding—and commercializing—world of Docker and Docker-like containerization.

Red Hat plans to host a virtual event, “Transform Application Delivery with Containers,” designed to showcase its latest containerization technology, on March 12.