I have a question regarding the PLCnext ecosystem. The use of .apps is part of our CEPE capabilities, but why do we need to create .apps instead of running containers directly with Podman? Creating an .app is currently neither easy nor intuitive. In contrast, deploying a container from an OCI image is straightforward, and many people are already familiar with the process (e.g., podman run hello-world). What are the advantages of creating an .app instead of deploying containers directly?
Hi Alex,
Users can absolutely decide to run containers directly with Podman on their own controller. The .app format is not a technical requirement for container execution, but rather a convenience layer around it.
Its main benefits are:
- Bundling more than a single container into one application package (e.g. include multiple containers, combine other app types, metadata, configuration, dependencies and installation logic)
- Enables offline installation
- Providing a standardized and secure exchange format
- Simplifying installation and updates for end users
- Enabling commercial and non-commercial distribution via the PLCnext Store
If your use case is simply deploying and managing your own container, running it directly with Podman is perfectly fine. The .app format becomes valuable when packaging, distributing, and maintaining solutions for other users.
BR Marcel