Provided by isolated and secure LXD system containers

Jan 21, 2020 08:00 GMT  ·  By

Canonical announced today a new product aimed at enterprises, allowing them to distribute Android applications at scale from the cloud.

Meet Anbox Cloud, a new platform developed by Canonical to conternize Android workloads as a guest operating system for the distribution of Android mobile apps at a scale directly from a cloud provider. As its name implies, Anbox Cloud is based on the Anbox technology, a free and open-source compatibility layer that allows Android apps to run on GNU/Linux distributions.

Based on the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS kernel, Anbox Cloud takes advantage of Canonical's secure and isolated LXD system containers to offer a more lightweight alternative to emulating Android in virtual machines. Anbox Cloud also uses Canonical's MAAS (Metal as a Service) for remote infrastructure provisioning and Juju for easy deployment and management at reduced operational costs.

"Driven by emerging 5G networks and edge computing, millions of users will benefit from access to ultra-rich, on-demand Android applications on a platform of their choice," said Stephan Fabel, Director of Product at Canonical. "Enterprises are now empowered to deliver high performance, high density computing to any device remotely, with reduced power consumption and in an economical manner."

Support and security updates will be offered for up to 10 years

With Anbox Cloud, developers will be able to deliver on-demand mobile experiences to end-users, which they can stream directly on their devices via 5G networks. These can include gaming and high-computing apps, which no longer need to be downloaded on users' devices. Anbox Cloud is secure at its core, so you won't have to worry about malware or any other type of threats when running Android apps.

Additionally, developers will be able to emulate thousands of Android devices. On the other hand, enterprises can use Anbox Cloud to deliver Android applications in offices directly on employee's devices, safely and secure, while receding their internal application development costs.

Anbox Cloud can be hosted on private and public clouds, allowing providers to integrate it into their offering. Canonical has also partnered with Packet, a leading cloud computing infrastructure provider, to offer an on-premise hosting option for Anbox Cloud, which will be supported with security updates for up to ten years.