Chapter 3. Architecture

OpenShift Enterprise consists of several components. This section provides information about the primary components, and the various configurations described in this guide. The diagrams in subsequent sections depict elements using the following legend:

An OpenShift Enterprise deployment consists of two logical types of hosts: a broker and one or more nodes. The broker handles the creation and management of user applications, the user authentication service, and manages communication with the appropriate nodes. The nodes run the user applications in contained environments called gears. The broker queries and controls nodes using a messaging service. The following diagram provides a simplified version of the interaction between these two types of hosts: