Basis Automation Studio is an environment for automating service deployment with visual design tools for virtual infrastructure based on ready-made components and connections between them. The constructor includes an extensible catalog of virtual infrastructure and platform service templates, as well as an extensible library of components with samples of popular software – ClickHouse, Consul, Docker, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and others. The deployment algorithm is built on TOSCA architecture using YAML, Ansible, Python, and Bash languages.
Access and Rights Management
One of the key enhancements in this release is the integration of the constructor with the Basis Virtual Security solution. The constructor uses Basis Virtual Security as a unified identity provider, giving administrators the ability to centrally manage user accounts and access rights, and providing support for Single Sign-On (SSO) technology. As a result, security policies can be applied centrally, reducing the burden on administrators and eliminating the need for platform users to enter credentials when moving between components of the Basis ecosystem.
In Basis Automation Studio 2.4 – in addition to the existing role-based model – an extended version was introduced, which allows fine-tuning user access rights: an administrator can create custom roles from atomic permissions and assign them in the required scope to specific users. Migration to the new model has already been completed at the constructor's architecture level.
Integration with External Git Repositories
The new version of Basis Automation Studio introduces the ability to upload components and service templates from Git repositories. Components and service templates are uploaded and updated using a graphical interface, by selecting a Git tag with the option for batch upload. Various authentication methods are supported (password, token). The uploaded component service template supports versioning (with the ability to update "forward and backward").
This continues the development of the web portal as a single point of interaction with the constructor. Previously, tools for creating and editing components and templates were added to the portal. The new version of the constructor adds integration with external Git repositories. This allows the development of TOSCA templates to be integrated into the familiar processes of working with source code for teams, ensuring traceability of changes and simplifying collaborative work on the service catalog.
The new release also added resource estimation for deployed services. This allows users to analyze the resource requirements of services and plan their operation more accurately.
"The key task that Basis Automation Studio solves for businesses is simplifying the process of deploying IT systems and services within a virtual data center. Therefore, we are developing the product in several directions related to solving this problem. In particular, we have already implemented centralized access management through integration with another of our products, Basis Virtual Security, as well as more flexible user rights differentiation and the inclusion of the constructor in standard development processes through Git support in the web portal," said Dmitry Sorokin, Technical Director of Basis.