New Version of Lens IDE for Kubernetes Improves Teamwork; Helps Accelerate Adoption Of Cloud-Native Technologies

Lens version 5 removes the pain of accessing Kubernetes clusters — delivers a unique way to access clusters, services, tools, pipelines, and automations, anywhere

CAMPBELL, Calif., April 28, 2021– Mirantis, the open cloud company, today announced a new version of Lens – the Kubernetes IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Lens 5 unlocks teamwork and collaboration, eliminating the pain of accessing Kubernetes clusters while providing a unique way for accessing clusters, services, tools, pipelines, automations, and any other related resources in one click, regardless of where or how they are running.

Lens 5 introduces Lens Spaces, a centralized cloud-based service — integrated with Lens IDE — that lets teams create collaborative spaces for their cloud-native development needs. Lens brings entire cloud-native technology stacks together, making developers more productive. For example, in addition to team management functionality which allows easy onboarding for new users, Lens Spaces features a centralized catalog providing easy discovery and access to all clusters, services, tools, pipelines, automations, and related resources used by developer teams, regardless of how or where they are running. 

“The trends in computing and modern software development are to empower developers, and move to the cloud,” said Miska Kaipiainen, principal of Lens IDE and senior director of engineering at Mirantis. “We already have a wide spectrum of cloud-native technologies to support these trends and Kubernetes is at the center of gravity pulling it all together. While running and operating Kubernetes workloads is becoming easier, development is very complicated and adoption is slow. We are on a mission to change that. Not just for Kubernetes but everything around it.” 

With Lens Spaces, users can access and work with Kubernetes clusters easily from anywhere, without sacrificing security or breaking the Kubernetes cluster role-based access control (RBAC) model. Lens 5’s new Cluster Connect uses end-to-end encryption to secure connections between users and clusters, eliminating the need for a VPN. One of the most significant advantages is that users do not need to manage kubeconfig files to gain access to their clusters. Lens Spaces admins can easily manage permissions and share access securely among Lens Spaces members and teams.

Lens 5 features include:

• Lens Spaces — an integrated team environment that allows users to create collaborative spaces for cloud native development. Lens Spaces admins can easily organize, access, and share clusters from anywhere whether they are on premises or in the cloud.  

• Catalog — a system that provides easy discovery and access to all services, tools, pipelines, automation, clusters, and related resources used in cloud-native projects — a personal or a shared cloud-native directory used to enable a much more efficient workspace.

• Hotbar — a new function and the main navigation that allows users to build their own workflows and automation within the desktop application. Items in the Hotbar can be customized by assigning different labels, colors, and icons for easy recall. Items can also be arranged, for example, to prioritize or perform actions in a specific sequence.

Lens 5 will be released by summer 2021, but Lens 5 beta is available today. To get started and learn more go to https://k8slens.dev.

About Lens

Lens provides full situational awareness for everything that runs in Kubernetes, lowering the barrier to entry for developers just getting started — and radically improving productivity for developers with more experience.  

The Lens open source project is backed by a number of Kubernetes and cloud-native ecosystem pioneers. It is 100% open source and free of charge for any purpose. With more than 3.5 million downloads, more than 170,000 users, and 13,800 stars on GitHub, it’s the most popular IDE for Kubernetes.