Managing Applications at the Edge with HashiCorp Nomad

Edge computing has evolved from a buzzword to an increasingly adopted distributed computing approach that involves distributing compute, networking, and storage closer to the source of data generation or end users. This shift is driven by the need for reduced latency, improved end-user experience, and cost savings. However, managing applications and devices at the edge can be challenging due to resource constraints, intermittent connectivity, and diverse infrastructure and applications that require remote management. HashiCorp Nomad has gained popularity as a scheduler or orchestration tool for deploying workloads across gaming, biotech, farming technologies, and other industries at the edge. It helps organizations address three top challenges: simplifying distributed deployments, improving operational efficiency at the edge, and managing heterogeneous environments. Nomad supports different edge deployment strategies, such as distributed multi-cluster deployments or a distributed single cluster topology that centralizes servers in one region while geographically distributing clients. This latter approach offers a unified control plane for all workloads but may have less isolation between applications and increased susceptibility to network latency issues. Bowery Farming, an indoor vertical farming company, has implemented Nomad's distributed single cluster topology in production, allowing it to manage services and infrastructure running both in the public cloud (AWS) and on-premises in its farms. AccelByte, a backend tools platform for multiplayer online video games, uses Nomad to manage its fleet of game servers across multiple regions with varying demand levels, ensuring low latency performance and autoscaling capabilities. Nomad's flexible workload support enables users to manage various applications in heterogeneous edge environments, supporting a variety of devices and operating systems. Radix Labs, a lab automation company, uses Nomad task drivers to operate diverse sets of instrumentation within biology labs, allowing it to run as root and access equipment like mass spectrometers and centrifuges by fingerprinting them and creating device-specific drivers. In summary, HashiCorp Nomad offers flexibility and control for deploying and managing edge workloads across diverse industries and use cases, addressing the challenges of distributed computing at the edge.