Top 10 Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins for Kubernetes

Kubernetes 1.30 supports Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins for cluster networking. You must use a CNI plugin that is compatible with your cluster and that suits your needs.

  1. Calico: Calico is a popular CNI plugin that provides networking and network policy enforcement for Kubernetes clusters. It's known for its scalability and flexibility, making it suitable for large-scale deployments.

  2. Flannel: Flannel is a simple and lightweight CNI plugin designed for Kubernetes networking. It uses overlay networks to connect containers across different hosts and is commonly used in smaller or development environments.

  3. Cilium: Cilium is a CNI plugin that provides network connectivity and security enforcement using eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) technology. It offers advanced features such as transparent encryption, API-aware network security, and network visibility.

  4. Weave Net: Weave Net is a CNI plugin that provides simple and robust networking for Kubernetes clusters. It creates a virtual network that connects containers across hosts and supports features like encryption and network segmentation.

  5. Antrea: Antrea is a CNI plugin developed specifically for Kubernetes that aims to provide simple and scalable networking and security features. It's built on top of Open vSwitch (OVS) and supports features like network policy enforcement and observability.

  6. Kube-router: Kube-router is a CNI plugin that provides networking and routing capabilities for Kubernetes clusters. It's designed to be lightweight and efficient, with support for features like network policy enforcement and IPVS-based load balancing.

  7. Multus CNI: Multus CNI is a multi-network CNI plugin that allows Kubernetes pods to have multiple network interfaces. It's useful for scenarios where pods require connectivity to multiple networks, such as connecting to both overlay and underlay networks.

  8. OVN-Kubernetes: OVN-Kubernetes is a CNI plugin that integrates the Open Virtual Network (OVN) with Kubernetes. It provides networking and security features using OVN's distributed overlay network and supports features like network policy enforcement and distributed load balancing.

These are just a few examples of CNI plugins available for Kubernetes. Each plugin has its own set of features, advantages, and use cases, so it's important to evaluate them based on your specific requirements and environment.

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