Cloudomation DevStack: The Self Hosted Gitpod Alternative

Cloudomation DevStack makes it easy to deploy Cloud Development Environments (CDEs) that developers can launch instantly.

Cloudomation DevStack vs. Gitpod

Feature

Cloudomation DevStack

Gitpod

Hosting

Self-Managed, Managed On-Premise, Managed Cloud (SaaS)

SaaS

USP

Code stays local, supports “weird” deployment models

No discernible USP

Pricing model

Packages

Gitpod Cloud: Free (50 / month, limited features) or per hour; Gitpod Dedicated: per user.

Pricing*

Available as an add-on for Engine

€ 39,90 / month

Supported IDEs

All IDEs (Visual Studio Code, JetBrains with and without SSH, Eclipse, Netbeans, Web IDEs)

VS Code Browser, VS Coder Desktop, Command Line

CDE configuration

Devfile, devcontainer or custom

gitpod.yaml

Custom SLA

Gitpod Dedicated only

CDEs based on

Virtual Machines or custom

Container

CLI

Locally usable

Only usable in the workspace

Individual support

Gitpod Dedicated only

Audit Logging

Air Gapped deployment

Gitpod Dedicated only

Set usage limits

Workspace prebuilds

Add GPU to the workspace

Collaboration

With third-party tools

With VS Code Browser or with third party tools

Working offline possible

Sources: https://www.gitpod.io/blog/introducing-gitpod-dedicated, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/references/ides-and-editors,  https://www.gitpod.io/pricing?plan=cloud, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/references/gitpod-cli, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/gitpod-dedicated/reference/networking-data-flows#networking-modes-and-diagrams, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/configure/workspaces/workspace-classes

*Cost estimates were based on the following assumptions: Pricing estimates calculated for 8 core, 16GB ram machine type and 160 hours of CDE runtime / month

Cloudomation DevStack vs. Gitpod

Feature Cloudomation DevStack Gitpod
Hosting
Self-Managed, Managed On-Premise,
Managed Cloud (SaaS)
Managed Cloud (SaaS)
USP
Code stays local, supports
“weird” deployment models
No discernible USP
Pricing model
Per hour CDE runtime
Gitpod Cloud: Free (50h / month,
limited features) or per hour.
Gitpod Dedicated: per user.
Pricing*
€ 80,60 / month Infrastructure: € 28,70; Licence: € 41,95; Support flat rate: € 9,95
€ 39,60 / month
Supported IDEs
All IDEs
(e.g. Visual Studio Code, Jetbrains with and
without SSH, Eclipse, Netbeans,
Web IDEs) Wie funktionierts: Sourcen werden über einen File Mount mit der RDE geteilt. Auf den lokalen Mount kann jeder lokale Editor zugreifen. SSH-fähige IDEs können auch auf der RDE betrieben werden.
VS Code Browser, VS Code Desktop, Command Line.
Beta: IntelliJ, GoLand, PhpStorm, PyCharm, RubyMine,
WebStorm, Rider, CLion. According to Gitpod: browser-based,
SSH-compatible and desktop IDEs possible.
CDE config
Devfile, devcontainer or custom
gitpod.yaml Defined with .yaml, then Gitpod’s internal logic takes over
Custom SLA
Gitpod Dedicated only
CDEs based on
Virtual Machines or custom
Container
CLI
Locally usable
Only usable in the workspace
Individual support
Gitpod Dedicated only
Audit Logging
Air Gapped Deployment
Gitpod Dedicated only
Setting usage limits
Workspace prebuilds
Add GPU
to the workspace
Collaboration
With third-party tools
With VS Code Browser or
with third-party tools
Working offline possible
Yes source code can be mirrored on developer laptop to enable offline work
No

Sources: https://www.gitpod.io/blog/introducing-gitpod-dedicated, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/references/ides-and-editors,  https://www.gitpod.io/pricing?plan=cloud, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/references/gitpod-cli, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/gitpod-dedicated/reference/networking-data-flows#networking-modes-and-diagrams, https://www.gitpod.io/docs/configure/workspaces/workspace-classes

*Cost estimates were based on the following assumptions: Pricing estimates calculated for 8 core, 16GB ram machine type and 160 hours of CDE runtime / month

Gitpod or Cloudomation DevStack - in a nutshell

Gitpod and Cloudomation DevStack are both platforms to create and manage cloud development environments.

What are the differences? The main differences:

  • Hosting
  • Pricing
  • On which technology the CDEs are based on
  • Automation options

Gitpod offers a SaaS model. The company discontinued their self-hosting option. With Cloudomation it is possible to choose between serveral hosting options: self-managed, managed on-premise and managed cloud.

With Gitpod Free, developers have 50 hours to use the platform, but with a limited set of features. If you want more, Gitpod offers a pay-as-you-go-model on a hourly basis. For companies, there’s Gitpod Dedicated, which is charged per user. Cloudomation has just one pricing model: It is charged per hour of CDE usage. You can choose from different options. All features are included in each option. With its free or pay-as-you-go model, Gitpod is geared more towards individual users. With Gitpod Dedicated, all functions can be used. Cloudomation is clearly focused towards companies.

Gitpods CDEs are containers. Cloudomation DevStack relies on virtual machines. For companies that want to run complex software in CDEs, VMs offer a flexible environment in which any software can be run. For companies that want to run lightweight, simple software in their CDEs, the solution with containers makes sense.

For automation, Gitpod relies on a .yaml file. Here, for example, the dependencies to be installed are specified, which are also installed when a workspace is started. Cloudomation DevStack is using Cloudomation Engine for automation. Cloudomation Engine is a general-purpose Python-based automation platform. Engine not only can automate the CDE creation, but much more – for example the integration of third-party systems. We have addressed the differences between config-based vs. code-based automation in a blog post.

Tl;dr

Gitpod is best for:

  • Devs working on simple to medium-complexity software with low resource
    requirements
  • Individual developers and small teams looking for a SaaS option
  • Very large development teams looking for a vendor-managed solution that
    runs in their AWS environment

Cloudomation DevStack is best for:

  • Development teams that work on complex software and need to deploy it to validate code changes.
  • Development teams that want a high degree of flexibility (working with individually favored developer tools, full access to VM by default, access to the Cloudomation Engine automation platform)

Features

Cloudomation DevStack features at a glance.

Managed Cloud and On-Premise

Decide on your preferred hosting: Self-hosted on premise, managed on-premise or managed cloud (SaaS).

CDEs based on VMs

VM-based development environments in which the software to be developed and all the necessary tools are available.

Integration

Built to integrate seamlessly with existing workflows and tool stacks of developers.

Central Configuration

Configure CDEs and which tools are available for your developers.

Powerful CLI

In addition to a web portal, developers can manage their CDEs via the terminal.

Automation Platform

Access to the flexible Python-based automation tool Cloudomation Engine.

Learn more about Cloud Development Environmnets from Cloudomation DevStack

Cloudomation DevStack

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