Stability Meets Innovation: The SUSE Application Collection 2025 Retrospective

In 2025, the market for enterprise‑grade distribution of cloud‑native open-source applications didn’t just get busier; it got louder, more unpredictable, and at times outright chaotic. Popular offerings retreated behind sudden paywalls, while other vendors treated the market like a sandbox for their latest monetization pivots, like “sorcerer’s apprentices” endlessly tweaking their models in search of value. In the middle of this turbulence, SUSE Application Collection cut through the noise, becoming the clear signal where cutting‑edge innovation meets unshakeable stability.

SUSE Application Collection proved that you don’t have to choose between a trusted foundation and cutting-edge innovation. We built a platform that offers the best of both worlds: the rock-solid security of our enterprise Linux lineage merged with the rapid velocity of the open-source Kubernetes ecosystem. We are redefining the standard by ensuring that applications are First-Class Citizens. We don’t just ship binaries; we deliver the Helm charts, the containers, and the base images as a single, coherent unit. Because SUSE also builds the Base Image, the Kubernetes distribution, and the Management platform, we deliver an unmatched level of homogeneity, and ultimately: peace of mind.

2025 was a year of record-breaking growth and reinforced foundations. We more than doubled the size of our collection, built, maintained and scanned hundreds of thousands of artifacts, improved user experience and completed documentation (including our much-loved reference guides!), all while maintaining our 0 to low CVE target! Here is our wrap-up:

We keep aiming higher! Full-fledged applications, not just components

When we started working on SUSE Application Collection, we knew we had to aim higher than just “building containers.” We understood that a trusted container is useless if the application it powers (the deployment logic, the configuration, the dependencies, etc.) is flawed. The value is in the application, not just the image.

• Applications as First-Class Citizens: This philosophy drove every feature we shipped this year. It’s why we enforced images-lock.yaml, ensuring that the entire application graph is immutable from test to production. It’s why we integrated RGS Hauler directly into the collection, making the complex problem of delivering enterprise-grade applications to air-gapped environments robust and simple.
• The Mesh of Assets: We don’t just see a list of images; we see a graph. A true enterprise application is a complex mesh of interconnected assets: an Application materializes through Helm Charts, which pull Containers, which include Packages, which run on Base Images. The only proposition that matters is the one that encompasses this picture fully. In 2025, we revamped our web application to help you navigate this mesh -from charts to dependencies to system packages- with unprecedented transparency and metadata depth.

The power of consistency

In a market characterized by fragmentation, SUSE stands apart by being accountable for the entire stack. From the Base Images (SUSE Linux BCI) to the Runtime (RKE2/K3s) and the Management Plane (Rancher Prime), every layer is built with the same engineering DNA. A DNA that also fuels each and every application of SUSE Application Collection.

• Enterprise Core: This year, we completed the picture by bringing the base images of SUSE Linux Base Container Images (BCI) directly into the Application Collection. For decades, SUSE Linux has been the gold standard for mission-critical stability. While the availability is new, the value is timeless: it gives your internal applications the same hardened, safe root that powers the world’s largest enterprises.
• Beyond Containers: We also brought kernel-independent FIPS content to our Rancher Suite customers. And as you would expect, we didn’t limit ourselves to single containers: we delivered FIPS compliance for entire, full-fledged applications.

The Golden Path: From Laptop to Production

For too long, developers used untrusted artifacts on their laptops while operators struggled to lock down production. In 2025, we closed this gap. With the Rancher Desktop Extension for SUSE Application Collection, developers in organizations with Rancher Prime or Rancher Suite subscriptions can now pull the exact same trusted artifacts to their laptops that are used in production. This creates a unified supply chain where the content on the developer’s local machine is binary-equivalent to what runs in the data center. No context drift. No “it works on my machine.” Just consistent, trusted software: making Developers happy while keeping Operations serene!

Looking Ahead

As we look toward 2026, our mission remains clear: to combine the unshakeable stability of our foundations with the relentless velocity of open source, ensuring that trust is not something you have to build yourself: it is the default state of every cluster you deploy.

Want to learn more? Visit SUSE Application Collection!