OpenShift Local Development - Comparing Your Options

When developing applications for OpenShift, having a reliable local development environment is crucial. But with several options available, each with different requirements, features, and trade-offs, choosing the right one can be challenging. In this post, we'll explore the main options for running OpenShift locally and help you decide which one fits your needs best.

OpenShift Local

OpenShift Local, formerly CodeReady Containers, is Red Hat's official solution for running a minimal, preconfigured OpenShift cluster on your local machine. It's designed to bring the cloud development environment to your laptop with all the tools needed to develop container-based applications.

Key Characteristics

Single Node Deployment: Yes - OpenShift Local runs as a true single-node cluster, acting as both control plane and worker node.

Platform Support: Excellent cross-platform support for macOS, Windows, and Linux using native hypervisors (HyperKit on macOS, Hyper-V on Windows, KVM on Linux).

Performance Metrics (from real-world testing on macOS):

• Initial installation: ~15 minutes
• First boot: ~5 minutes
• Subsequent boots: ~3 minutes 42 seconds
• Stop time: ~34 seconds

Resource Requirements:

• RAM: 11GB (recommended minimum, can be adjusted)
• CPU: 4 cores (minimum)
• Disk: 35GB minimum

Pros

• Official Red Hat solution - Most authentic OpenShift experience locally
• Full OpenShift feature set - Includes web console, operators, and integrated registry
• Single node cluster - Perfect for development without complexity
• Cross-platform - Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux
• Podman Desktop integration - Can be managed through Podman Desktop UI

Cons

• Red Hat account required - Must register for a free Red Hat Developer account
• Resource intensive - 11GB RAM is significant for laptop development

Best For

OpenShift Local is ideal for developers who want the most authentic OpenShift experience locally, have sufficient system resources, and don't mind creating a Red Hat account. It's the go-to choice for teams already using Red Hat OpenShift in production.

MicroShift

MicroShift is a project that optimizes OpenShift for small form factor devices and edge computing. While designed for edge deployments, it's also an excellent option for local development due to its minimal resource footprint.

Key Characteristics

Single Node Deployment: Yes - MicroShift is inherently a single-node solution.

Platform Support:

• Native: RHEL 9, Fedora, and compatible distributions
• Via OpenShift Local/CRC: macOS and Windows (running MicroShift in a VM)
• Via MINC (MicroShift in Container): macOS, Windows, and Linux (running as a container)

Resource Requirements:

• RAM: 2.5GB (much lighter than OpenShift Local!)
• CPU: 2 vCPUs
• Disk: 2GB storage

Pros

• Minimal resource footprint - Perfect for resource-constrained development machines
• Single node cluster - Perfect for development without complexity
• Fast startup - Boots quickly due to lightweight nature
• Multiple deployment options - Native on RHEL/Fedora, VM via CRC, or container via MINC
• Podman Desktop integration - Can be managed, and even installed (MINC), through Podman Desktop UI

Cons

• No web dashboard - Command-line and kubectl/oc only
• Requires RHEL/Fedora for native installation - Not natively supported on macOS/Windows
• Reduced feature set - Optimized subset of OpenShift capabilities
• Less representative of full OpenShift - Missing some enterprise features

Best For

MicroShift shines for developers working on edge computing applications, those with limited system resources, or teams who prefer a minimalist, CLI-driven workflow. It's also excellent for CI/CD pipelines where you need a quick, lightweight OpenShift-compatible environment.

Podman Desktop and Extensions

Podman Desktop has emerged as a powerful tool for container development, with several extensions that make running OpenShift locally even easier.

MINC - MicroShift in Container

The MINC extension is a game-changer for local development. It runs a fully functional MicroShift cluster inside your existing Podman Machine environment.

Single Node Deployment: Yes - Runs as a containerized single-node cluster.

Platform Support: macOS, Windows, and Linux - anywhere Podman Desktop runs.

Key Advantages:

• No extra image pushing - Unlike Kind and Minikube, MINC directly utilizes images built by Podman
• Integrated workflow - Seamless integration with Podman Desktop's UI
• Fast deployment - Lightweight container startup
• No VM overhead on Linux - Runs directly in Podman on Linux hosts

OpenShift Local Extension

The OpenShift Local extension integrates CRC clusters with Podman Desktop, providing a unified interface for managing your local OpenShift environment.

Benefits:

• Manage OpenShift Local clusters from Podman Desktop UI
• Streamlined workflow for building, deploying, and testing
• Visual cluster management and monitoring

Pros

• Excellent developer experience - Unified UI for container and cluster management
• Multiple options - Choose between MINC or OpenShift Local
• Lightweight with MINC - Minimal resource usage
• Image workflow optimization - Direct use of locally built images
• Free and open source - No vendor lock-in

Cons

• Additional layer of complexity - Another tool to learn
• Extension ecosystem still maturing - Some features may be limited
• Depends on Podman - Requires Podman Desktop installation

Best For

Developers who already use or want to adopt Podman Desktop will find these extensions invaluable. MINC is particularly appealing for those seeking the lightest possible OpenShift-compatible environment with excellent workflow integration.

OKD - The Community Distribution

OKD is the community distribution of Kubernetes that powers Red Hat OpenShift. It's the upstream, fully open-source version without commercial support.

Key Characteristics

Single Node Deployment: Not officially supported for local development - OKD typically requires multi-node setups.

Platform Support:

• Native: Linux (particularly Fedora CoreOS)
• Virtualized: Possible but complex with tools like QEMU/KVM

Resource Requirements (for a minimal viable cluster):

• RAM: 16GB+ (for multi-node setup)
• CPU: 8 cores
• Disk: 120GB+

Pros

• No Red Hat account required - Completely open source
• Latest Kubernetes features - Often ahead of commercial OpenShift releases
• Free for all use cases - No licensing concerns
• Community support - Active open-source community

Cons

• No single-node local option - Designed for multi-node clusters
• Complex setup - Significantly more difficult than alternatives
• High resource requirements - Not practical for most laptops
• Not RHEL-based - Uses Fedora CoreOS, making setup outside Red Hat-based OS challenging
• Limited local development tooling - CodeReady Containers for OKD are difficult to build outside RHEL

Best For

OKD is best suited for developers who need to avoid Red Hat accounts entirely, want to contribute to the upstream project, or are testing features before they land in commercial OpenShift. However, for local development, other options are generally more practical.

Honorable Mentions - General Kubernetes Options

While not OpenShift-specific, several lightweight Kubernetes distributions are worth mentioning for developers who need Kubernetes features but not OpenShift-specific capabilities:

Kind (Kubernetes in Docker)

• Startup: ~20 seconds for a new cluster
• Platform: Cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• Resource: Very lightweight
• Best for: CI/CD testing, ephemeral clusters, standard Kubernetes development
• Also available in Podman Desktop

K3s / K3d

• Startup: Very fast (~70MB single binary)
• Platform: Cross-platform (K3d runs K3s in Docker)
• Resource: Minimal (perfect for edge/IoT simulation)
• Best for: Edge computing development, low-resource environments

When to Consider These

If you're developing Kubernetes-native applications that don't rely on OpenShift-specific features (like Routes, BuildConfigs, or ImageStreams), these tools offer faster startup times and even lower resource usage. However, you'll miss OpenShift's developer-friendly abstractions and integrated tooling.

Comparison Matrix

Here's a quick reference to help you choose: