Tanzu Platform SaaS

Manage business applications on Tanzu Platform

Last Updated February 19, 2025

After Tanzu Platform discovers applications from a data source, you can create business applications from the discovered applications. A business application is a grouping of multiple component apps and microservices that work together to achieve a specific business outcome. A business application maps to the Cloud Foundry Space or the Kubernetes Space within the data source. Business applications are supported for Tanzu Platform for Cloud Foundry and Kubernetes data sources. If you have Kubernetes applications, you can see the Kubernetes namespaces as well.

After you create a business application in Tanzu Platform, you can use it to analyze and understand business application outcomes. By exploring the topology of a business application, you can gain insights into its components and structure.

A business application cannot have more than 500 objects in it. The total number of applications and services, across all Spaces or namespaces, that are combined in a business application cannot exceed 500. If you try to create a business application with more than 500 objects in it, the application creation fails. Tanzu Platform supports 50 Spaces in each business application and 100 applications within a single Space.

In the following example, the business application uses objects across multiple Spaces:

  • Space 1: 100 objects
  • Space 2: 50 objects
  • Space 3: 25 objects
  • Space 4 to Space 20: 6 objects each (17 Spaces × 6)

Total number of objects = 100 + 50 + 25 + (17 × 6) = 527

The total number of objects across all the Spaces adds up to more than 500 objects. Therefore, the business application creation will fail.

Create multiple business applications

To create multiple business applications, using the Create Business Application wizard:

  1. Go to Applications > Business Applications.

  2. If there are no business applications, the Create Business Application wizard appears. Otherwise, click Create Business Application at the top right to start the Create Business Application wizard.

  3. In the dialog box, select the Create for all unassigned Spaces & Namespaces radio button and click Continue.

    Tanzu Platform discovers all unassigned Spaces and namespaces and presents them as potential business applications.

    Create for all unmapped Spaces and Namespaces view in the Tanzu Platform UI with multiple Spaces and Namespaces selected.

  4. Deselect any unwanted business applications.

  5. Click Create.

    A business application is generated for each selected Space or namespace.

Create a single business application

To create a single business application, on the Create Business Application wizard:

  1. Go to Applications > Business Applications.

  2. If there are no business applications, the Create Business Application wizard appears. Otherwise, click Create Business Application at the top right to start the Create Business Application wizard.

  3. In the dialog box, select the Create Business Application radio button.

    A tool appears that lists all unused Kubernetes Spaces, Kubernetes namespaces, and Tanzu Platform for Cloud Foundry Spaces in the right pane.

  4. Select the components that you want and add them to a new Space on the left.

    Screenshot of the Create Business Application view in the Tanzu Platform UI.

  5. Edit the system-generated business application name.

  6. Click Save to create the business application.

Merge business applications

To combine multiple business applications into a single entity:

  1. Go to Applications > Business Applications.

  2. Select two or more applications from the application list.

  3. Click Merge.

  4. Enter a name for the newly merged business application.

  5. Select the components from the selected applications to include in the merged application.

  6. Click Confirm.

The original business applications are deleted and a new application is created.

Edit business applications

To edit an existing business application:

  1. Go to Applications > Business Applications.

  2. Select the application to edit from the application list.

  3. Click Edit.

  4. Add or remove components as needed.

  5. Click Save to update the business application.

Delete business applications

To delete an existing business application:

  1. Go to Applications > Business Applications.

  2. Select the application to delete from the application list.

  3. Click Delete.

  4. To confirm you want to delete the app, click Delete in the dialog box.

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