censhare Cloud: Release information
censhare Cloud release
This is the first release of censhare Cloud. The following release notes bring the highlights of that initial version to you:
censhare Cloud
censhare Cloud general
censhare Cloud runs censhare and serves as a solution development platform for creating and running own business automation for censhare.
censhare Cloud is based on state-of-art technology. It uses Kubernetes as cloud-native platform.
censhare Cloud is managed by censhare IT. You can concentrate on the development and operation of custom solutions that run on censhare Cloud.
censhare Cloud security
A main focus of the censhare Cloud is security. Here are some highlights:
- Identity and Access Management (IAM) is provided via Keycloak.
- Access control: No access without authentication and authorization
- Tenant isolation: A tenant has only access to the own tools, services, and solution space.
censhare Cloud business solutions
General
censhare Cloud provides a platform to run your own custom business solution. You can build custom business solutions that are based on custom functions and business flows.
You can access external systems in your custom solutions, for example, cloud-based services such as Google Vision. It is also possible to access own business systems.
Asset management
censhare Cloud provides an interface for asset management and related tasks. A central API gateway provides access to all asset management related services.
Hotfolders allow to upload or download files. Automatic message creations allows to automatically react on uploaded files, for example, create an asset from the uploaded file.
censhare Cloud also integrates the censhare Server. The censhare Server hosts all asset-related data. A conversion of your existing censhare Server data is not necessary for that.
Business automation
As the censhare Server itself also censhare Cloud provides business automation. There is a central messaging hub provided by Kafka. You can use Kafka messages to trigger automatic execution of business logic, for example, custom functions or business workflows.
The censhare Server integrates with Kafka. You can configure the censhare Server to send certain asset events to Kafka that occur on the censhare Server. This then allows custom functions or business flow to react on these messages.
Users
Frontend
censhare Web serves as frontend for user to access their assets and business-related functionality in censhare Cloud.
User management
Keycloak serves as central tool for the user management. Each tenant receives an own realm in Keycloak where he can manage all their data.
Keycloak can synchronize user related data with the censhare Server. Keycloak also allows the integration of external IAM systems (Identity and Access Management).
Development tools
Cockpit
With the Cockpit, solution developers receive a tool where they can access all related tools and information for development from one place.
Custom functions using Knative
Custom functions are one way to implement business logic for a custom solution. censhare Cloud uses Knative to serve custom functions.
censhare Cloud especially supports Java as programming language for custom functions. There are censhare Java libraries to access Asset Management functionality. For a faster Cloud development, censhare Cloud supports Spring Boot and Spring Cloud.
The integration of git allows development workflows. This also allows to automatically deploy custom functions to the solution space of the respective tenant.
censhare Cloud also provides a central configuration management for custom functions.
Business flows using Node-RED
Business flows using Node-RED are the other way to implement business logic. A censhare Node-RED library provides node for faster access of Asset Management functionality. The integration of git allows development workflows. For example, you can develop a flow in a separate branch until it is ready for production use.
censhare Server integration with git
censhare Server is an essential part of censhare Cloud.The integration of git allows development workflows for censhare Server customization.
Observability
Integrated data
Cloud applications are distributed applications. This means that there can be many different sources for observability data. censhare Cloud integrates these sources into one:
- one central log view
- one central data store for monitoring data
- one central data store for tracing data
Integrated tools
The observability tools in censhare Cloud can visualize these integrated data:
- Kibana for log discovery
- Jaeger for tracing
- Kibana for monitoring
Migration
Overview
censhare Cloud integrates the censhare Server. This eases the migration to censhare Cloud for existing censhare Classic customers a lot. Here are some basic points:
- Existing censhare Server can be migrated to censhare Cloud: no data migration necessary.
- Existing asset automation running on censhare Server: continues to work after migration to censhare Cloud.