IBM® Cloud platform (formerly Bluemix) combines platform as a service (PaaS) with infrastructure as a service (IaaS) to build, run, deploy, and manage applications on the cloud. Additionally, the IBM Cloud platform has a rich catalog of cloud services that can be easily integrated with your applications. Supported programming languages and runtimes include Java, Node.js, Swift, Go, PHP, Python, and Ruby, and other languages.
IBM Cloud platform is based on open source technology. In addition to using IBM Cloud platform to build Web applications for multiple frameworks - including iOS - you can create Kubernetes and OpenShift clusters, or launch virtual server instances. IBM Cloud platform follows a Hybrid Cloud model meaning that the apps, containers, and VMs that you use with the platform are portable across public, dedicated, and on-premises clouds.
The IBM Cloud platform console provides application boilerplates to help you get started. The IBM Cloud platform console offers a growing catalog of over 100 services to build applications.
Service categories
- Compute: Obtain access to bare metal and virtual servers
- Storage: Store unstructured data in the cloud
- Network: Secure VPN connections, orchestrate load balancing, and use other network services
- Security: Configure firewalls and secure connections
- Containers: Deploy Kubernetes and OpenShift clusters and use Docker-based containers
- VMware: Integrate VMware solutions
- Boilerplates: Use templates to help you get started with various services
- APIs: Create, manage, enforce, and run APIs
- Application Services: Deliver applications that include business rules, automation, an application server, and more
- Blockchain: Integrate the IBM Blockchain technology in your environment
- Cloud Foundry Apps: Choose from multiple runtimes including Liberty for Java, SDK for Node.js, and Swift
- Data & Analytics: Select from a variety of database options, including Compose, and incorporate big data analytics
- DevOps: Go from application development to deployment with continuous delivery, auto-scaling, globalization, and alert notifications
- Finance: Manage your investments and finances
- Functions: Execute serverless event-driven programming (IBM Cloud Functions)
- Integrate: Access API management, product insights, secure gateway functionality
- Internet of Things: Manage connected devices using IoT foundation and IoT for electronics
- Mobile: Integrate push notifications, testing, tuning, and analytics for mobile applications
- Watson: Add cognitive abilities to applications
When asking questions about the IBM Cloud platform, you should:
- Ensure you are asking a technical question about using the IBM Cloud platform or services. (For questions about your account or IBM Cloud platform offerings, ask at IBM developerWorks Answers or open a support ticket.)
- Search Stack Overflow to see if somebody else has already asked the same question.
- Explain what you were trying to do when you encountered the problem. What software versions were you using? Is there anything else about your environment that could lead to the problem?
- Provide code samples where possible. Isolate the problem and reproduce it with as little code as possible.
- Include the ibm-cloud tag, plus an additional tag to indicate the service or technology in question.
Getting support for the IBM Cloud platform
- Ask technical questions on Stack Overflow about programming and deploying applications using the IBM Cloud platform and services. The IBM Cloud platform Development and Support teams monitor Stack Overflow closely.
- Ask non-technical questions about the IBM Cloud platform offerings at IBM developerWorks Answers. It’s also the best place to ask questions about getting started with the platform.
- Open a support ticket to get answers to your issue especially if you cannot find the answer in the forums. See Getting Customer Support for details on contacting Support and opening tickets.
Helpful links
- IBM Cloud documentation - extensive, detailed technical information
- ID and billing questions - FAQ for common Bluemix issues
- IBM Cloud status - notifications about events that affect the platform and services
- What is IBM Cloud?
- Get started with IBM Cloud
- IBM Cloud resources
- IBM Cloud console
- IBM Cloud Functions
