| Feature | DeploymentConfig (DC) | Deployment (K8s Deployment) |
|---|---|---|
| Belongs to | OpenShift-only (legacy) | Kubernetes-native (standard) |
| API Group | apps.openshift.io/v1 | apps/v1 |
| First Introduced | OpenShift 3.x | Kubernetes 1.x |
| Purpose | Deploy/manage pods with extra OpenShift features like automatic image rebuilds. | Deploy/manage pods in a standard Kubernetes way. |
| Triggers (auto-update) | Supports ImageChangeTrigger, ConfigChangeTrigger easily. | No built-in ImageTrigger (needs webhooks, GitOps, Tekton). |
| Build Integration | Tight integration with OpenShift BuildConfig (S2I) + ImageStreams. | No native build integration — CI/CD pipelines needed separately. |
| Rollback & Rollout | Managed by OpenShift internally (easy CLI commands). | Kubernetes-native rollback/rollout (kubectl rollout). |
| Strategy Options | Rolling, Recreate, Custom, and Hooks (pre/post hooks). | RollingUpdate, Recreate (no custom hooks by default). |
| UI Support | Fully available in OpenShift 3.x/4.x console until 4.13. | Now the recommended method in OpenShift 4.14+. |
| Lifecycle | 🔥 Deprecated for feature development (4.14 onward). | 🚀 Active, recommended standard. |
| Portability | ❌ Works only on OpenShift. | ✅ Works on any Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE, OpenShift, etc.). |
🛠 Example Differences
✅ 1. DeploymentConfig Example (Old way)
apiVersion: apps.openshift.io/v1
kind: DeploymentConfig
metadata:
name: myapp
spec:
replicas: 2
selector:
app: myapp
triggers:
- type: ConfigChange
- type: ImageChange
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: myapp
spec:
containers:
- name: myapp
image: myapp:latest
- ImageChangeTrigger automatically pulls new images!
- Used with BuildConfigs and ImageStreams.
✅ 2. Deployment Example (Modern way)
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: myapp
spec:
replicas: 2
selector:
matchLabels:
app: myapp
strategy:
type: RollingUpdate
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: myapp
spec:
containers:
- name: myapp
image: myapp:latest
- Pure Kubernetes Deployment.
- No automatic ImageStream trigger — you must manually update, use GitOps, webhook, or Tekton.
🔥 Key Functional Differences
| Aspect | DeploymentConfig | Deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Auto image update from ImageStream | ✅ Built-in (ImageChangeTrigger) | ❌ Must build manually (e.g., webhook triggers) |
| Build integration (BuildConfig) | ✅ Tight coupling | ❌ No coupling; CI/CD external |
| OpenShift-only | ✅ | ❌ |
| Kubernetes standard | ❌ | ✅ |
| Future use (post-OpenShift 4.14) | ❌ Legacy | ✅ Standard |
🎯 In Short
| If you are using… | Then… |
|---|---|
| OpenShift 3.x or old 4.x apps | You might still find/use DeploymentConfigs. |
| OpenShift 4.14+ and new apps | ✅ Use Kubernetes-native Deployments only. |
📋 Quick Real World Examples:
| Use case | Best choice now |
|---|---|
| Building a new microservice app | Deployment |
| Moving an app across clusters (OpenShift → EKS → AKS) | Deployment |
| Legacy OpenShift S2I project with ImageStream auto-rebuilds | DeploymentConfig (until migrated) |
📢 Final Message:
- DeploymentConfig = OpenShift-specific, powerful in OpenShift pipelines, but deprecated for new feature development in 4.14+.
- Deployment = Kubernetes standard object, recommended for all new apps moving forward.
🌟 Bonus Tip:
✅ You can still use ImageStreams + Deployment together —
but instead of using “ImageChangeTriggers,”
you need to use external CI/CD pipelines (like Jenkins, Tekton, GitHub Actions) to update the Deployment automatically.
🎯 Quick One-Liner:
DeploymentConfig = OpenShift magic for older CI/CD,
Deployment = Kubernetes standard for modern apps.
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