Spinnaker
Spinnaker is an open-source, multi-cloud continuous delivery platform for releasing software changes.
What Spinnaker is
Spinnaker is an open-source, multi-cloud continuous delivery platform for releasing software changes. Its pipelines can run integration and system tests, manage server groups, monitor rollouts, and start from events such as Git, Jenkins, Travis CI, Docker, or CRON. Deployment options include built-in blue/green and canary strategies, as well as custom strategies. The documented cloud providers include AWS, Azure, Cloud Foundry, Google Compute Engine, Kubernetes, Oracle Cloud, and App Engine. To deploy applications, teams must enable at least one provider and configure an account for it. Spinnaker lists CI integrations such as Jenkins, Travis, AWS CodeBuild, Concourse, Google CodeBuild, and Artifactory, plus source integrations including GitHub, Bitbucket Server/Stash, and GitLab. It supports authentication through OAuth 2.0, SAML, or LDAP, and authorization through role providers including Google Groups and GitHub Teams. Installation is recommended on Kubernetes; local Debian packages are documented for smaller deployments. The software is free and self-hosted, but requires installation and configuration.
Good
- Open-source and free to self-host.
- Supports blue/green and canary deployment strategies.
- Pipelines can monitor rollouts and run tests.
- Supports multiple cloud providers.
- Authentication options include OAuth 2.0, SAML, and LDAP.
Watch out
- Requires installation and configuration.
- Deployment requires an enabled provider and configured account.
- Local Debian guidance recommends at least 4 cores and 16GB RAM.
- Single-machine deployments may experience downtime.
Who it suits
Spinnaker is intended for teams that want to standardize release processes and improve software quality. It suits organizations able to install and configure a self-hosted delivery platform and enable a cloud provider.
Verdict
Spinnaker offers event-triggered pipelines, multiple rollout strategies, and integrations across CI, source control, and cloud providers. Plan for provider setup and installation, and note that the documented single-machine option may have downtime.
Plans and prices
From Spinnaker's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Spinnaker (open source) | Free | Self-hosted; requires installation and configuration |
The facts
Each one read from Spinnaker's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audience
- The site says Spinnaker is for teams looking to standardize release processes and improve quality.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Automated releases
- Pipelines can run integration and system tests, manage server groups, monitor rollouts, and be triggered by events including Git, Jenkins, Travis CI, Docker, or CRON.checked 4 Oct 2026
- CI and source integrations
- The FAQ lists Jenkins, Travis, AWS CodeBuild, Concourse, Google CodeBuild, and Artifactory as CI integrations, and GitHub, Bitbucket Server/Stash, and GitLab among source repository integrations.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Cloud providers
- The documentation lists AWS, Azure, Cloud Foundry, Google Compute Engine, Kubernetes, Oracle Cloud, and App Engine as supported providers.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment strategies
- Built-in strategies include blue/green and canary deployments, and users can define custom strategies.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The recommended installation path is a Kubernetes cluster; local Debian packages are also documented for smaller deployments.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Local installation requirements
- The local Debian installation guide recommends at least 4 cores and 16GB of RAM and notes that a single-machine deployment may have downtime.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Notable provider status
- The provider documentation says OpenStack support was removed after several releases without support.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Provider setup
- Spinnaker requires at least one enabled cloud provider and an account configured for it to deploy applications.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Spinnaker is an open-source, multi-cloud continuous delivery platform for releasing software changes.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- Spinnaker supports authentication through systems such as OAuth 2.0, SAML, or LDAP, and authorization through role providers including Google Groups, GitHub Teams, SAML roles, or LDAP groups.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The homepage says Slack is the fastest way to get questions answered.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Transport security
- Spinnaker supports SSL to secure communication for its UI and API.checked 4 Oct 2026
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