Do you want to minimize expenses and increase profit at the same time? We have great news: we introduced Alpaquita Linux just now, an OS fine-tuned for Java applications, and it is time to present the Alpaquita Cloud Native Plaform — a perfect end-to-end solution for container deployment and TCO reduction!
- What is Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform?
- Components of Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform
- How using Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform cuts your expenses
- Tuned for Java
- End-to-end support for both Linux and Java
- Unified environment
- Ultimate security suite
- Save money and nature by embracing green IT
- Alpaquita containers: test drive
- Conclusion
What is Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform?
So what is Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform? As the name suggests, it is not a single tool but a complex solution for efficient cloud workloads.
Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform (ACNP) is a technology stack bundled in a small container optimized for writing and executing Java applications. Each component of a stack is built and fine-tuned for your programs to be amazingly small, fast, stable, and secure.
To be precise, the Platform consists of these software components:
- Liberica JDK Lite, a progressive Java runtime. This lightweight and secure open source Java Development Kit allows creating and executing Java applications on any platform or in any cloud.
- Alpaquita Linux, a brand new and the only Linux distribution tailor-made for running Java applications.
- Liberica Native Image Kit, a tool for creating native images. Using it with an application allows creating native images for cloud deployment saving RAM and accelerating startup.
Together, they provide a comprehensive environment for development and cloud deployment. To see how, let’s take a closer look at each component.
Components of Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform
Liberica JDK Lite
A runtime with the widest range of platforms, supported by a leading OpenJDK contributor. The version in the stack is Liberica JDK Lite, which is optimized for performance and minimal memory footprint. You can choose either JRE for deployment only or a JDK for development.
Alpaquita Linux
This new Linux distro is based on the lightweight Alpine Linux, but with the focus on security, enhanced performance, small size, and flexibility. It was created with a single goal in mind – to be the best environment to run Java applications. Read more about Alpaquita in this article to find how it is fine-tuned for Java applications and supports both musl and glibc. Alpaquita base image is only 3.22MB, which is 9x smaller than Debian slim and similar to Alpine, which is 2.67MB.
Liberica NIK
Liberica NIK is a GraavVM-based utility that converts applications into native executables ahead of time. It helps to accelerate the startup time up to 1/10 s and minimize memory footprint. Liberica NIK supports multiple platforms and languages and is perfect for building microservices.
How using Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform cuts your expenses
There are two essential tasks in software development among others: cutting the costs of development, and providing a stable, performant, and convenient solution to end users. Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform helps you achieve both goals with its unique properties:
ACNP is tuned for Java
Alpaquita Linux is an OS tuned especially for Java and including features that
- Increase the performance
- Provide faster startup without compromising other indicators
- Reduce latency of applications and ensure stability and consistency of operation
Tiny ACNP containers are perfect for cases with extensive Java workloads because the pull time is dramatically reduced. And imagine how much you can save if 100 ms of latency cost 1–6% in sales!
End-to-end support for both Linux and Java
We provide long-term support for Liberica JDK and Alpaquita Linux with SLA, which means that you will
- Work with one reliable vendor
- Receive timely security patches and updates
- Stay on one version for as long as you need
- Reduce administration time and expenses tremendously and concentrate on other business tasks
Unified environment
Both the JDK and the OS are compatible with a wide range of platforms, infrastructures, and clouds. The solution provides you with a unified environment both for development and deployment.
Spring developers will also appreciate the ACNP offering as Liberica JDK is a recommended runtime environment for Spring apps and Liberica NIK is the default native-image compiler used in Spring Native. Therefore, Spring apps will run in ACNP containers without any issues plus the developers will notice a boost in performance and reduced memory consumption.
Consolidate your resources and leave compatibility issues in the past!
Ultimate security suite
Alpaquita Linux boasts hardened security as compared to Alpine Linux. BellSoft provides timely security fixes both for the OS and the JDK to avoid zero-day vulnerabilities, so your data will be protected at all times. Please remember that the consequences of a data breach due to security gaps can cost millions of U.S. dollars and destroy your business.
Save money and nature by embracing green IT
A special note should be made on how Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform helps you to both lower your costs and preserve the planet. With energy prices going up every day, green IT becomes a necessity more than a trend. ACNP was created with sustainable development in mind:
- Enhanced performance of ACNP components helps to maximize energy efficiency. Power consumption gets reduced and so do the power bills.
- By virtualizing the servers you spend less on hardware and reduce the burden on the planet.
- In cases when you need to utilize physical devices, optimal compatibility of ACNP enables you to use modern environment-friendly equipment and take care of nature and your employees’ health.
Alpaquita containers: test drive
Now, let’s check how Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform containers actually perform!
First thing to take note of is the size of such containers.
Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform container size
|
|
glibc |
musl |
|---|---|---|
|
base |
7.8 MB |
3.22 MB |
|
Containing Liberica JDK Lite |
79.27 MB |
74.72 MB |
Next, we present the test where we put the “petclinic” app into the containers known for their small footprint and high performance, and compare them to Alpaquita Cloud Native platform containers and native images with the same app inside.
Petclinic RAM footprint and latency
As you see, Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform demonstrates better performance (up to 7%) and with utilization of Liberica NIK provides:
- Faster startup (up to 48x)
- Less RSS consumption (up to 50%)
- Lower latency (up to 25x at 99 pct)
We are going to provide even more numbers that show the performance of Alpaquita in one of our next articles.
Conclusion
Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform guarantees significant cost reduction on multiple levels by reducing latency, optimizing memory, and increasing energy efficiency. Use it as a foundation for creating state-of-the-art technologies based on Java and enjoy enhanced stability, security, and long-term support.
To find out more about the new Alpaquita Cloud Native Platform contact us and receive a first-hand demonstration of how ACNP will aid you in your endeavors!
