OpenStack is an open source platform that lets you build an Infrastructure as a Ser‐
vice (IaaS) cloud that runs on commodity hardware. Introduction to OpenStack
OpenStack believes in open source, open design, open development, all in an open
community that encourages participation by anyone. The long-term vision for Open‐
Stack is to produce a ubiquitous open source cloud computing platform that meets
the needs of public and private cloud providers regardless of size. OpenStack services
control large pools of compute, storage, and networking resources throughout a data
center.
The technology behind OpenStack consists of a series of interrelated projects deliver‐
ing various components for a cloud infrastructure solution. Each service provides an
open API so that all of these resources can be managed through a dashboard that
gives administrators control while empowering users to provision resources through
a web interface, a command-line client, or software development kits that support the
API. Many OpenStack APIs are extensible, meaning you can keep compatibility with
a core set of calls while providing access to more resources and innovating through
API extensions. The OpenStack project is a global collaboration of developers and
cloud computing technologists. The project produces an open standard cloud com‐
puting platform for both public and private clouds. By focusing on ease of implemen‐
tation, massive scalability, a variety of rich features, and tremendous extensibility, the
project aims to deliver a practical and reliable cloud solution for all types of organiza‐
tions.
