IBM Unveils New Bluemix OpenWhisk Tools to Speed IoT App Development

IBM has announced new advancements for Bluemix OpenWhisk, its serverless, event-driven platform utilizing Docker containers. The new tools are designed to allow developers to build feature-rich, intuitive apps that connect to the IoT and tap into cognitive, analytics and other services without the need to deploy and manage extra infrastructure.

The new tools, NPM Module and Node-RED, help event-driven apps automatically execute user code in response to external actions and events. IBM will also begin rolling out new updates to the OpenWhisk user experience to make it easier for developers to create these portable, intelligent apps, including step-by-step workflows, new wizards to configure third party services and feeds, and a new editor to manage sequences of actions.

 OpenWhisk, which runs on Bluemix, IBM’s cloud platform, is one of the only serverless computing models which enables developers to deploy their code as Docker containers, transforming how containers and OpenWhisk can be used together to innovate. Unlike other platforms, developers can immediately begin building with containers on Bluemix, without the hassle of configuring and connecting prerequisite programs and code.

IBM announced the Bluemix OpenWhisk platform as an open and cloud-first event-driven programming service in February. The tool’s serverless compute model allows developers to build microservices that execute code in response to events like the clicking of a mouse or the receipt of sensor data from an IoT device.

With integrated Docker support, Bluemix draws more than 20,000 new developers each week, who are creating more than 120,000 apps every month. It has grown rapidly to become one of the largest open, public cloud deployments in the world. Based in open standards, it features over 140 tools and services spanning categories of big data, mobile, Watson, analytics, integration, DevOps, security and the Internet of Things.