Rackspace Hosting has launched Cloud Tools, an online service for sharing tools, applications and services built by its strategic partners and independent developers for The Rackspace Cloud.
Rackspace said that the new site aims to match customers with companies and independent developers building services on The Rackspace Cloud platform that expand the functionality and openness of cloud computing.
According to Rackspace, the Cloud Tools site catalogues tools and applications created on The Rackspace Cloud in four categories: monitoring and reporting, development tools, system management and client software. It allows visitors to browse the latest tools, search for features, rate the tools and post comments.
For specific tools, users can view screenshots and user ratings, review user feedback and watch demo videos before being directed to the strategic partner’s website for download. Cloud Tools also highlights a ‘From the Community’ section offering independent developers a way to publish their tools built using The Rackspace Cloud APIs and make them available to customers, the company said.
The Cloud Tools feature tools from companies such as RightScale, which provides Cloud Management Platform for enterprises; Mixpanel, which provides real-time user interaction analytics and Cyberduck, which provides an open source file browser for Mac OS X that supports Rackspace Cloud Files.
It also includes tools from other partners and developers including: Beanstalk, Cloud Mobile, Cloudkick, Django Cumulus, Elastic Rack, enStratus, jclouds, Jungle Disk (a Rackspace subsidiary), LibCloud, Olark Live Website Chat, rPath, SOASTA, Sonian, Vanilla and Zeus.
Jim Curry, vice president of corporate development at Rackspace Hosting, said: “This tool-sharing service, along with our commitments to collaborate with the community to build an open cloud, lays the foundation for a large ecosystem. With the recent release of our APIs, we’ve seen an influx of interest in developing applications for our cloud computing offerings and we’re pleased to announce that such applications can be featured in our new Cloud Tools site.”
Other companies and developers have also indicated that they are planning to make their tools, applications and services available in the coming weeks, the company said.
