Jetstream2's web-based graphical user interface (GUI) is implemented using Exosphere. Beneath the Exosphere GUI, Jetstream2 is implemented using the OpenStack cloud platform. OpenStack provides its own GUI, CLI and API options that are available to you. All available interfaces are briefly described below.

If you create an entity (image, instance, volume, etc) through Exosphere or an OpenStack interface, it will typically be available to you through the other family of interfaces. This provides great convenience, as you can create your entities using an easy mechanism with the confidence that you can later work with that entity through a lower-level interface if the need arises.

The following sections will briefly introduce each of the interfaces that are available for Jetstream2. More detailed information about using them can be found in later pages. These descriptions are meant to help you identify the interfaces that may best meet your needs.

Exosphere GUI

As the default GUI for Jetstream2, Exosphere provides users with a simplified and tailored experience. This is definitely the easiest way to use Jetstream2, and there are few functional limitations that would be noticed by non-expert users. If you need to specify more settings for security, networking, etc., you should look into using Horizon instead of Exosphere. And if you only have terminal access to Jetstream2 or are interested in scripting your use of it, investigate the CLI interface.

Horizon GUI

Because it is more of a general purpose interface than Exosphere, Horizon requires you to do more for yourself. In particular, you will need to create your own private network, security group and key pair. But if you are choosing Horizon, it may be specifically because you want to configure those aspects of your deployment.

openstack-client CLI

The Openstack CLI provides access to the same functionality as the Horizon GUI, plus some additional functionality that is not available through Horizon. If you want both the additional control of Horizon and the scripting ability of a CLI, openstack-client may be what you need.

OpenStack APIs

All of the interfaces listed above are implemented as calls to the functionality in the OpenStack APIs. This functionality can only be accessed by writing software (i.e. not merely scripts). At this level, you are exposed to all of the complexity of the OpenStack system, but also have all of the control you might want. This is not for novice programmers!