What is vCluster?
vCluster is an open source solution that enables teams to run virtual Kubernetes clusters inside existing infrastructure. It helps platform engineers create secure, isolated environments for development, testing, CI/CD, and even production workloads, without the cost or overhead of managing separate physical clusters.
What is a virtual cluster?​
A virtual cluster is a fully functional Kubernetes cluster that runs on top of another Kubernetes cluster. Virtual clusters run inside a namespace of a host cluster, but operate as independent environments with their own API server, control plane, and resource set.
Virtual clusters are certified Kubernetes distributions. They adhere to upstream Kubernetes standards while maintaining isolation from the host cluster. This means you can use standard Kubernetes tooling and workflows with virtual clusters.
Why use virtual clusters?​
Virtual clusters provide several advantages over traditional Kubernetes multi-tenancy approaches:
- Strong isolation: Each virtual cluster has its own control plane, CRDs, and RBAC configuration
- Fast provisioning: Create a new virtual cluster in seconds instead of minutes
- Cost efficiency: Run multiple virtual clusters on shared infrastructure
- Flexibility: Choose from multiple tenancy models to match your isolation and performance requirements
- Compatibility: Use any Kubernetes tooling and deploy any workload type
How vCluster Platform helps manage virtual clusters​
vCluster Platform extends open source vCluster with enterprise features for managing virtual clusters at scale:
- Centralized management: Manage virtual clusters across multiple host clusters from a single interface
- Access control: Configure fine-grained RBAC for users and teams
- Templates: Define reusable virtual cluster configurations
- Cost optimization: Automatically sleep idle virtual clusters and set resource quotas
Learn more​
For detailed information about vCluster architecture, configuration, and deployment options, see the vCluster documentation.