Mirantis has announced a new version of Lens – the Kubernetes IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Lens 5 unlocks teamwork and collaboration, eliminating the pain of accessing Kubernetes clusters while providing a way for accessing clusters, services, tools, pipelines, automations, and any other related resources in one click, regardless of where or how they are running.

Lens 5 introduces Lens Spaces, a centralized cloud-based service — integrated with Lens IDE — that lets teams create collaborative spaces for their cloud-native development needs. Lens brings entire cloud-native technology stacks together, making developers more productive.

For example, in addition to team management functionality which allows easy onboarding for new users, Lens Spaces features a centralized catalog providing easy discovery and access to all clusters, services, tools, pipelines, automations, and related resources used by developer teams, regardless of how or where they are running.

With Lens Spaces, users can access and work with Kubernetes clusters easily from anywhere, without sacrificing security or breaking the Kubernetes cluster role-based access control (RBAC) model.

Lens 5’s new Cluster Connect uses end-to-end encryption to secure connections between users and clusters, eliminating the need for a VPN. One of the most significant advantages is that users do not need to manage kubeconfig files to gain access to their clusters.

Lens Spaces admins can easily manage permissions and share access securely among Lens Spaces members and teams.

Lens 5 also features Hotbar — a new function and the main navigation that allows users to build their own workflows and automation within the desktop application. Items in the Hotbar can be customized by assigning different labels, colors, and icons for easy recall. Items can also be arranged, for example, to prioritize or perform actions in a specific sequence.

Lens 5 will be released by summer 2021, but Lens 5 beta is available today.