THE LINUX FOUNDATION PROJECTS

Edge Application Management

API Description
The “Edge Application Management” API provides capabilities for lifecycle management of applications, application instances and application deployments, as well as Edge Cloud zone discovery. Lifecycle management allows an application provider to onboard their application to the Edge Cloud platform, which performs bookkeeping, resource validation and other pre deployment operations. Application details can include component network specifications, package type (QCOW2, OVA, CONTAINER, HELM, CSAR), operating system details, and the repository used to download the application image.

 

Once the application is available on the Edge Cloud platform, the application provider can instantiate it either as a single, standalone instance or as a deployment spanning one or more Edge Cloud zones or Kubernetes clusters, which can later be grown or shrunk as demand changes. Applications that require Kubernetes resources are placed on one or more Kubernetes clusters selected by the application provider; all other applications (VM, container or Docker-Compose based) are placed on one or more Edge Cloud zones. Edge Cloud providers help application providers decide where to instantiate applications by letting them discover Edge Cloud zones — and, where applicable, the Kubernetes clusters available within each one — filtered by country, Edge Cloud provider, region or status.

A developer can deploy and run applications on an Edge Cloud zone, reducing latency for nearby end users because the network path is shorter. A network operator’s Edge Cloud may comprise multiple Edge Cloud zones, each in a discrete location, bringing latency benefits to end users across a country.

Use Cases

The reference scenario foresees a distributed telco Edge Cloud where any application developer, known as an application provider, can host and deploy their application according to their specifications and operational criteria (e.g. within a specific geographical zone for data protection purposes, or to ensure a minimum QoS for the application’s clients), enabling an evolved experience for XR, V2X, holographic and other new services. The API manages the lifecycle of applications and instances. Use cases are e.g.

  • Immersive Gaming and XR Experiences: Application providers deploy latency-sensitive gaming, AR/VR or holographic workloads to the Edge Cloud zone closest to the end user, cutting round-trip latency so cloud-rendered or immersive content feels locally hosted.
  • Intelligent Driving and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X): Autonomous or driver-assistance applications are instantiated on the Edge Cloud zone nearest the vehicle’s current location, so perception and control decisions are computed with minimal network delay.
  • Low-Latency remote Monitoring and Emergency Response: Applications that process live video or sensor feeds (e.g. drone-based inspection, public-safety AI analytics) are deployed close to the data source so detection and alerting happen in near real time.

See also at GSMA:

Benefits
  • Reduced Latency and improved User Experience: Hosting an application on the Edge Cloud zone closest to the end user shortens the network path, benefiting latency-sensitive services such as gaming, XR and V2X.
  • Access to operator-grade Edge Cloud Infrastructure: Application providers gain the traditional strengths of the cloud (on-demand compute, elasticity) combined with the reach and expertise of mobile network operators, without having to build or operate their own edge infrastructure.
  • Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings: A single, standardized API to submit, deploy and manage applications and instances across one or more Edge Cloud zones reduces the integration effort and operational cost of working with multiple Edge Cloud providers.
  • Flexibility across Deployment Models: Support for both single application instances and multi-zone deployments, and for both VM/container-based and Kubernetes-based workloads, lets application providers choose the placement model that fits their application.

API Portfolio: Computing Services

Sub Project Wiki: Edge Cloud
(incl. how to meet the team)

API Wiki: Edge Application Management

API Repository: Edge Application Management

API Repository Status: Sandbox

API Status: In progress

API Version(s) and Release Date(s):

  • In progress

API availability: Information which APIs are available in which country and network, and how to get access can be found on the GSMA public launch status page.

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