odo is a command-line interface tool developed by Red Hat for container-based application development, written in Go and implementing the open Devfile standard. The tool is designed to streamline the development workflow by supporting Podman, Kubernetes, and OpenShift as container orchestration platforms. However, it is important to note that odo has been officially deprecated as of October 23, 2025, with detailed information about the deprecation available on the project's blog and Red Hat's developer documentation.
The core purpose of odo is to reduce friction in the development cycle by eliminating the need for developers to manage complex Kubernetes YAML configuration files. Instead, odo abstracts away infrastructure concerns and allows developers to focus on writing code. The tool features auto-detection of project source code to enable quick onboarding, and it supports development workflows without requiring a Kubernetes cluster by leveraging Podman as a local container runtime. This flexibility means developers can use the same tool and common abstraction layer whether they are developing locally with Podman or deploying to Kubernetes or OpenShift clusters.
Key features highlighted in the repository include fast iterative development where applications run immediately upon code changes, a standalone architecture that communicates directly with container orchestrator APIs, and a simple syntax centered around familiar developer concepts such as projects, applications, and components. The tool requires no complex configuration and provides first-class support for multiple container orchestrators, allowing developers to choose their preferred platform without changing their workflow.
The project maintains an open community structure with discussions happening in the Kubernetes Slack channel dedicated to odo, public team meetings accessible through a shared Google Calendar, and contribution pathways for both code and documentation. The codebase is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, with the exception of vendored dependencies. The tool includes a telemetry collection feature that users can opt into on first run, allowing Red Hat to gather pseudonymized usage data to inform product improvements, with detailed privacy information and configuration options documented in the repository.
