WaveMaker Leverages Docker for App Delivery
Application development and delivery software unveiled by apps specialist WaveMaker leverages Docker container technology to help improve management of application infrastructures, or what the company calls "application platforms-as-a-service."
The company said its WaveMaker Enterprise applications platform uses enterprise-scale technologies like Docker to create apps that can be extended or customized to, for example, incorporate APIs. It is also intended to help IT administrators manage application infrastructure by delivering capabilities running on top of Docker containers.
The company said WaveMaker Enterprise addresses the growing problem of application development being hung up in the "IT queue," delaying app deployment across enterprises. The tool is said to allow developers to bypass the traffic jam – a symptom of what it calls the "Shadow IT" problem – encountered when building and running customized apps on approved infrastructure. It also assists IT departments in managing new enterprise apps.
The tool is said to support hybrid environments so applications can be deployed on both the public cloud or on a private infrastructure. Docker containers also can be deployed on top of virtual machines or on bare metal, WaveMaker said. Release management workflows are included to help reduce the need for extensive development expertise previously required to deploy custom applications.
The company observed that the delivery mechanism for custom enterprise applications has changed little over the decades. Docker container and other technologies are allowing greater flexibility in deploying applications and managing the delivery infrastructure that must now account for multiple devices. "Ours is the first application PaaS software specifically developed for enterprises to run their own Docker-architected aPaaS and optimize cloud and multi-device custom app delivery – from rapid development through ongoing management on their private infrastructure or a public cloud," WaveMaker CEO Samir Ghosh explained in a statement.
Hence, the tool includes automated application deployment features along with app lifecycle and release management as well as a deployment workflow. Other features include a drag and drop capability to speed app development along with the ability to edit generated code. Another feature is intended to ease API integration with reusable interface "prefab modules."
The WaveMaker app tools are combined with container management capabilities provided on top of Docker to manage functions like container provisioning and stack packaging.
WaveMaker describes itself as a "portfolio company" that was formed by the software engineering firm Pramati Technologies after its acquisition of WaveMaker Studio from VMware in May 2013. WaveMaker claims over 2 million downloads and 30,000 users. It also claims to already have thousands of applications running on its Docker management platform.
A free 30-day trial of WaveMaker Enterprise is available now by sending an email address to WaveMaker Enterprise Developer Network. IT departments also can request a demonstration of WaveMaker Enterprise to evaluate its PaaS management capabilities.
