The Next Evolution of Mendix Cloud: Embracing Kubernetes to Build a Future-Ready Platform

Mendix Cloud is evolving. To ensure scalability, security, and innovation for the future, we are transitioning from Cloud Foundry to Kubernetes. This move strengthens our foundation, making Mendix Cloud more reliable and flexible for the years to come.

For over a decade, Cloud Foundry has been the solid backbone of Mendix Cloud. However, as the technology landscape continues to shift, we need a solution that can keep pace with the modern demands of cloud computing. Kubernetes has emerged as the industry-standard platform for containerized applications, offering unmatched flexibility, strong community support, and advanced scalability.

Our adoption of Kubernetes underscores our commitment to continuous improvement. This transition will enable us to deliver new features faster while maintaining a secure, high-performance infrastructure for all Mendix users.

Why We Are Evolving Mendix Cloud

The current version of Mendix Cloud is built on Cloud Foundry, a cutting-edge technology at the time we adopted it over 10 years ago. For many years, Cloud Foundry served as the industry standard, providing a reliable and scalable platform for Mendix applications. However, the technology landscape has changed:

  • The use of Cloud Foundry is steadily declining, and community support is weakening.
  • While we could continue using Cloud Foundry for a few more years, we would eventually face a lack of innovation and long-term support.

  • To stay true to our commitment to innovation, we need a future-ready platform.

The Future: Kubernetes

Kubernetes has become the industry-standard platform for running containerized applications, backed by a strong community and continuous innovation. By adopting Kubernetes, we are able to:

  • Ensure a robust and future-proof infrastructure.

  • Provide a more flexible, scalable, and secure platform for our customers.

  • Enable faster deployment of new features to enhance performance and security.

Migration Roadmap

Our journey toward Kubernetes began in 2023. Below are the key milestones:

  • May 2024: We launched Kubernetes for Free Apps to gather real-world data and build internal expertise.
  • November 2024: All internal Mendix applications running on Mendix Cloud were successfully migrated to Kubernetes. Using the new platform ourselves allowed us to validate its stability and performance.
  • Present: We have achieved feature parity between Cloud Foundry and Kubernetes for paid applications and are now ready to roll out Kubernetes to our customers.

How This Affects You

Starting in March, we will begin enabling the migration of customer applications from Cloud Foundry to Kubernetes. This process will be gradual to ensure stability:

  • Not all apps will be migrated at once: We’ll start with a small group of applications and expand progressively based on performance and stability.
  • Integrated into the deployment process: If a deployment package has been used previously, it will continue using the existing model. New deployments will be placed on Kubernetes for non-production environments, while production environments will remain on the current platform.
  • Only the container (runtime engine) will be migrated: Databases and documents will remain unaffected.
  • Rollback to Cloud Foundry is possible if needed: If any issues arise, we can revert individual environments or pause the migration process to ensure no disruption to your applications.

You can check which platform your environment is running on via the Mendix Cloud Portal. Additionally, the Deploy Wizard will notify you if your environment is about to be migrated to Kubernetes, giving you an opportunity to verify your application before deployment.

You can check which platform your environment is running on via the Mendix Cloud Portal. Additionally, before deployment, the Deploy Wizard will notify you if your environment is scheduled to migrate to Kubernetes, allowing you to thoroughly review your application before proceeding.

Next Steps

The migration to Kubernetes not only makes Mendix Cloud more secure, high-performing, and reliable — it also opens up opportunities to introduce additional features based on customer demand, such as:

  • Private connectivity
  • Auto-scaling capabilities

  • Customizable firewall rules

  • Rate-limiting controls

 

Recommended Actions

As Kubernetes is rolled out, we encourage you to:

  • Continue deploying your applications as usual.
  • Thoroughly test your application on Kubernetes in a non-production environment before deploying to production.
  • Reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) or Mendix Support if you encounter any issues.

We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition while keeping Mendix Cloud at the forefront of innovation.

The move to Kubernetes is a significant step forward, and we’re excited to partner with you on this journey!