7 min to read

Deep Dive into OpenStack Horizon

Understanding OpenStack's Dashboard Service

Featured image

Image Reference link


Understanding OpenStack Horizon

Horizon is OpenStack’s web-based dashboard service that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for managing OpenStack cloud resources.

It enables users and administrators to easily control infrastructure and services through an intuitive web interface.


What is Horizon?


The Dashboard Service

Horizon serves as the web interface for OpenStack, providing essential functionality:

As the primary interface for OpenStack, Horizon makes cloud management accessible without requiring command-line expertise.


Horizon Architecture Overview (Diagram Description)

graph LR A[OpenStack Horizon] A --> B[Core Features] A --> C[Service Integration] A --> D[User Interface] A --> E[Management Tools] B --> B1[Resource Management] B --> B2[User Control] B --> B3[Project Management] C --> C1[Nova Integration] C --> C2[Neutron Integration] C --> C3[Glance Integration] C --> C4[Cinder Integration] D --> D1[Web Interface] D --> D2[Dashboard Views] D --> D3[Custom Panels] E --> E1[Instance Management] E --> E2[Network Control] E --> E3[Storage Management] style A stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,fill:#f5f5f5 style B stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,fill:#a5d6a7 style C stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,fill:#64b5f6 style D stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,fill:#ffcc80 style E stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,fill:#ce93d8


Horizon Architecture and Components

Horizon is built on the Django web framework and communicates with OpenStack services through REST APIs.

This architecture enables flexible and extensible cloud management capabilities.


Core Components

Component Role Description
Django Framework Web Application Base
  • Provides web application structure
  • Handles request processing
  • Manages templates and views
  • Supports authentication
Horizon Dashboard Main Interface
  • Renders web UI components
  • Manages dashboard layout
  • Handles user interactions
  • Provides navigation structure
Panels & Tabs Feature Modules
  • Service-specific interfaces
  • Resource management views
  • Configuration panels
  • Custom functionality
API Client Service Communication
  • Connects to OpenStack APIs
  • Handles service requests
  • Manages authentication
  • Processes responses


Architecture Flow

sequenceDiagram participant User as "Web Browser" participant Horizon as "Horizon Dashboard" participant API as "OpenStack APIs" participant Service as "OpenStack Services" User->>Horizon: Access Dashboard Horizon->>API: API Request API->>Service: Service Operation Service-->>API: Operation Result API-->>Horizon: API Response Horizon-->>User: Update UI


Key Features

Horizon provides comprehensive management features:

These features enable complete cloud resource management through a web interface.


Service Integration and Management

Horizon integrates with all major OpenStack services, providing a unified interface for managing cloud resources.

This integration enables comprehensive cloud management through a single dashboard.


Service Management

Service Management Features Use Cases
Nova (Compute) Instance lifecycle management
  • VM creation
  • Instance monitoring
  • Resource allocation
Neutron (Network) Network configuration and management
  • Network creation
  • Subnet management
  • Security groups
Cinder (Storage) Volume and snapshot management
  • Volume creation
  • Storage allocation
  • Backup management


User Interface Components

Horizon’s interface includes several key components:

These components work together to provide an intuitive management interface.


Usage and Best Practices

Effective use of Horizon requires understanding its capabilities and implementing appropriate management practices.

Here are key considerations and best practices for utilizing Horizon effectively.


Management Strategies

Strategy Description Benefits
Resource Organization Structure resources by project and purpose
  • Better organization
  • Easier management
  • Clear visibility
Access Control Implement role-based access management
  • Enhanced security
  • Proper delegation
  • Access tracking
Monitoring Regular resource status checks
  • Issue detection
  • Performance tracking
  • Resource optimization


Implementation Guidelines

For effective Horizon implementation:

Following these guidelines helps ensure efficient cloud management through Horizon.


Advanced Configuration (Production Hardening)


Security & Authentication


Performance & Scalability


High Availability (HA)

Layer Recommendation Notes
Load Balancing L4/L7 load balancer with active health checks Stickiness optional (session in cache)
Web Tier 2+ Horizon pods/VMs behind LB Immutable deploy with blue/green
Cache Redundant Memcached/Redis Enable authentication/ACLs


RBAC & Multi‑Tenancy


Customization & Extensibility


Observability & Operations


Troubleshooting Playbook (Quick Checks)



Key Points

Horizon Essentials
  • Core Functionality
    - Web-based OpenStack management
    - Unified service interface
    - Resource management tools
    - User access control
  • Architecture
    - Django-based web application
    - REST API integration
    - Modular panel design
    - Extensible framework
  • Key Features
    - Instance management
    - Network configuration
    - Storage control
    - User administration


References