The Cloud Developer Kit (CDK), part of the forgeops repository, represents the modern approach to deploying the Ping Identity Platform (including PingAM 8.0.2) in a containerized, Kubernetes-native environment. According to the PingAM deployment and ForgeOps documentation, the platform has transitioned from a monolithic architecture—where the user interface was embedded within the AM web application—to a decoupled, microservices-aligned architecture. In a standard CDK deployment, the user interface components are separated into their own distinct pods to allow for independent scaling, updates, and management.
The three specific pods that provide user interface functionality in a default CDK environment are:
admin-ui: This pod hosts the administrative console. It is the centralized interface that administrators use to configure realms, manage identity stores, define authentication trees, and oversee the general health of both PingAM and PingIDM. By separating the administrative UI from the core engine, the platform reduces the attack surface and allows for more granular resource allocation.
end-user-ui: This pod serves the self-service portal for end-users. It is responsible for providing the interface where users can manage their own profiles, update passwords, register Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) devices, and manage their consent for OAuth2/UMA applications. This UI interacts with the back-end via REST APIs to ensure a seamless and responsive user experience.
login-ui: This is a specialized pod dedicated to the authentication journey. When a user interacts with an "Intelligent Access" tree, the login-ui pod renders the callbacks (such as username prompts, password fields, or MFA challenges). This pod ensures that thepresentation layer of the authentication process is modernized and distinct from the heavy processing logic of the PingAM core.
Collectively, these three pods ensure that the "User Interface" layer of the deployment is modular. This architecture is a prerequisite for high-availability deployments and is the standard configuration verified in the ForgeOps documentation for version 8.0.2 deployments.
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