A new platform named kubriX has been launched into the developer community, claiming to create a fully functional Internal Developer Platform (IDP) without extensive custom development. The platform, developed by contributors including developer advocate Artem Lajko, who has written an extensive post about it, integrates established tools such as Argo CD, Kargo, Backstage, and Keycloak into what its creators describe as a ready-to-use solution for teams seeking to implement a modern IDP.
kubriX is trying to address what Lajko identifies as a common industry problem. When asked about self-hosted, open-source IDPs that work immediately upon deployment, Lajko notes that current platforms are complex and must reflect many architectural choices that organisations have already made, leaving teams with an overwhelming selection of appropriate tools.
Most companies already operate foundational infrastructure, including GitOps setups with Argo CD or similar tools, third-party applications deployed via Helm charts, Terraform modules for cloud provisioning, and authentication systems like Keycloak. However, Lajko explains that these implementations typically lack a genuine self-service layer that enables developers to provision services using them with standardised templates. Lajko goes on to explain that kubriX tries to fill this gap by providing a curated, opinionated, yet flexible platform built from predefined components. The system uses Argo CD as an orchestrator, employing the established App of Apps pattern to deploy and manage its various components in a defined sequence.
The platform’s architecture has multiple layers of functionality. For continuous delivery, it promotes using the GitOps methodology with Argo CD. Application templating and scaffolding capabilities are provided through integration with Spotify’s Backstage. For multi-tenancy and scheduling, kubriX deploys Kubernetes with additional tools such as Capsule to give proper isolation. Security and compliance are added through bundling Cert-Manager for certificate management, the External Secrets Operator for secrets management, and Kyverno for policy management.
The deployment process has minimal prerequisites: a working Kubernetes cluster and a valid kubeconfig file. KubriX does not provision the cluster; instead, it assumes it already exists. The bootstrap process involves defining environment variables and running a setup script, which triggers a complete deployment in about 30 minutes.
KubriX claims to have a comprehensive approach to team onboarding. The platform provides templates accessible through Backstage that automatically create pull requests and establish App of Apps repositories for teams within GitHub organisations. This process includes defining source repositories from which teams can deploy resources and building the required structure for team-specific Argo CD applications. It also configures organisational scopes for the Kubernetes cluster’s ApplicationSet controller.
KubriX uses Kargo for application promotion workflows, so that teams can deploy applications through multiple stages all the way to production, with a pipeline management visualisation as the app is promoted through the team’s deployment stages. Argo CD AppProjects gives multi-tenancy and proper team-based isolation to apps in a shared Argo CD instance by defining permitted repositories, target clusters, namespaces, and Kubernetes resources.
Lajko emphasises the platform’s realistic approach to implementation timelines, contrasting it with vendor promises of immediate functionality.
Get a fully operational IDP in a few weeks instead of years — powered by a proven architecture and modular, flexible building blocks.
– Artem Lajko
The platform as a whole tries to satisfy stakeholders with multiple organisational roles, providing self-service capabilities, catalogued reusable services, integrated documentation, pipeline integration, authentication with multi-tenancy support, and API-first design principles. It doesn’t try to satisfy every organisational requirement perfectly; it aims to build a comprehensive foundation for teams evolving into modern platform development through an opinionated IDP. It’s aimed at organisations that want to build an IDP without a lot of development overhead or custom integration work.
KubriX enters a competitive IDP market which already has some established solutions, albeit with differing approaches to internal platform development. Spotify’s Backstage, perhaps the most recognised open-source developer portal, provides an extensible plugin system and comprehensive microservice cataloguing capabilities. According to industry analysis, Backstage benefits from major enterprise adoption and a substantial third-party ecosystem, though it requires significant configuration work to get it production-ready.
- Port offers a composable developer portal emphasising self-service provisioning and governance features. Unlike kubriX’s opinionated architecture, Port focuses on extensibility and customisation, allowing organisations to build a solution customised for them. However, this flexibility could translate to longer implementation timelines.
- Argo CD, whilst not a complete IDP solution, is a foundational component of many platform implementations, including kubriX itself. Being a CNCF-adopted project and promoting GitOps practices have established it as an industry standard, though again, organisations typically need additional tools to fully satisfy developer needs.
The competitive assessment reveals that whilst alternative solutions may offer broader integrations or more established ecosystems, they often need more customisation, particularly in regulated industries which need compliance controls.
KubriX attempts to be different by providing immediate functionality through pre-integrating all its components, though this opinionated approach, by definition, limits flexibility compared to more modular alternatives. It does, however, claim compatibility across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and on-premises deployments. kubriX is available for download now, and is also available with commercial plans.
