Horizon

Horizon: The Dashboard for Managing OpenStack Services

Horizon is the canonical implementation of OpenStack’s dashboard, providing a web-based user interface to interact with various OpenStack services, including Nova, Swift, Keystone, and more. It allows users to manage and monitor their cloud resources through an intuitive graphical interface.

How Horizon Works

Horizon operates through several key components and processes:

Django Framework: Horizon is built on the Django web framework, which provides the structure for developing web applications.
Panels and Dashboards: Horizon is organized into dashboards, which contain panels. Each panel corresponds to a specific OpenStack service or functionality, such as managing instances, networks, or volumes.
API Integration: Horizon interacts with OpenStack services through their respective APIs. When a user performs an action in the dashboard, Horizon sends API requests to the appropriate OpenStack service.
Pluggable Architecture: Horizon’s architecture is highly pluggable, allowing developers to extend and customize the dashboard by adding new panels, dashboards, and themes.

Practical Analogy

Think of Horizon as the control panel of a smart home system:

Django Framework: The underlying electrical wiring and infrastructure that supports the smart home system.
Panels and Dashboards: The control interfaces for different aspects of the home, such as lighting, security, and climate control. Each interface (panel) allows you to manage specific functions.
API Integration: The communication between the control panel and the smart devices in the home. When you adjust the thermostat, the control panel sends a signal (API request) to the thermostat to change the temperature.
Pluggable Architecture: The ability to add new smart devices and control interfaces to the system, such as adding a new security camera or smart lock.

Practical Use-Cases

Resource Management: Horizon allows cloud administrators and users to manage their cloud resources, such as launching instances, creating networks, and managing storage volumes, all through a user-friendly interface.
Monitoring and Reporting: Users can monitor the status and performance of their cloud resources, view usage reports, and track resource consumption over time.
Multi-Tenant Environments: Horizon supports multi-tenancy, enabling different users and projects to have isolated environments within the same cloud infrastructure.
Self-Service Portal: Horizon provides a self-service portal for users to provision and manage their own resources without needing to interact with cloud administrators directly.
Customization and Branding: Organizations can customize and brand the Horizon dashboard to match their corporate identity, providing a consistent user experience across their cloud services.