Marketplace Access:

Infrastructure Management:

Transparency and Control:

Monetization of Infrastructure:

Focusing on Core Competencies:

Simplified Application Management:

Billing and Customer Acquisition:

Flexibility in Application Management:

Easy and Secure Application Management:

Flexibility in Provider Selection:

Simplified User Management and Security:

1. App Selection:

2. Configuration:

3. Provider Selection:

4. Optional Checkout:

5. Installation:

6. Post-Installation:

Single Sign-On (SSO):

Developers:

• Enable developers to offer and monetize their applications on a marketplace.
• Handle the installation and deployment of applications on providers' hardware.
• Provide control over who can install and host their applications.

Providers:

• Allow providers to monetize their hardware infrastructure by running applications.
• Manage the installation and management of applications.
• Handle billing and customer acquisition.
• Provide control over which applications are allowed or blocked and specify user access.

Users:

• Offer a simple and secure way to install and manage applications from an app store.
• Ensure the installation process is straightforward and requires only a few steps.
• Allow users to choose from various providers and customize applications.
• Provide SSO for simplified user management and security.

Additional Features:

• Transparency and control for developers, including insights into application performance and user behavior.
• Enhanced CRM tools for developers and providers to manage customers, track revenue, and gain business insights.

A Cloud Native Application Bundle (CNAB) is a specification designed to facilitate the packaging, distribution, and lifecycle management of cloud-native applications and their dependencies. It aims to simplify the deployment and management of applications across different cloud environments by bundling all necessary components and configurations into a single, portable unit.

Key Components of CNAB

1. CNAB Core: This covers the execution of bundles, ensuring that the application and its dependencies are correctly deployed, upgraded, and uninstalled.
2. CNAB Registry: This specification deals with storing bundles in OCI (Open Container Initiative) registries.
3. CNAB Claims: This involves data storage related to what is installed and the status of the installation.
4. CNAB Dependencies: This allows bundles to depend on other bundles, facilitating complex application deployments.
5. Credential Sets: This manages credentials on the client-side and passes them to a bundle.
6. Parameter Sources: This connects a bundle's outputs to its parameters for subsequent actions.

Role of Porter in CNAB

Porter is an open-source tool that serves as a CNAB container runtime, responsible for executing and managing the lifecycle operations of CNAB packages. It simplifies the deployment and management of CNAB bundles by providing a command-line interface (CLI) and supporting custom plugins for extended functionality. Porter's key features include:

• Install: Deploys applications and dependencies in the CNAB package to the target environment.
• Upgrade: Updates deployed applications and dependencies by applying a new CNAB package version.
• Uninstall: Removes deployed applications and dependencies from the target environment.
• Status Query: Provides information about deployed applications and dependencies, such as version, status, and configuration.
• Output Management: Allows users to acquire and use output data generated by deployed applications.
• Key Management: Manages encryption and key-related operations in CNAB packages.
• Extension Support: Supports extensions to provide user-defined functions and operations.

Porter is designed to be user-friendly, allowing developers to create and manage CNAB bundles without needing to understand the underlying CNAB specification. It integrates with existing tools like Helm, Kustomize, Terraform, and public clouds, making it easier to compose and manage complex application deployments.

The Cloud Native Application Platform (CNAP) is a platform that simplifies using CNAB in production by integrating and organizing various tools aiming to reduce duplicate similar work and following the philosophy to connect developers, providers, and users. It supports external artifact registries like Artifact Hub, Docker Hub (any OCI registry), Terraform Registry, etc., and allows users to customize application settings in friendly UIs. The platform handles the installation and deployment of applications on providers' hardware, and allows developers to focus on coding their core product. CNAP also empowers providers who want to create their own private cloud on their hardware infrastructure and monetize it by running applications.

Conclusion: