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Version: v0.34 Stable

Edge Distribution

Deploy tenant workloads at distributed edge sites without managing a separate cluster at each one. Telecommunications providers, ISPs, and edge compute operators use this model to run low-latency services at POPs, exchange points, and remote facilities from a single central control plane.

Typical stack: Central Standalone (HA) as the Control Plane Cluster. Central vCluster Platform. Worker nodes at each edge site joined to the central control plane via VPN. Tenant control planes run centrally; pods schedule onto edge nodes.

Edge distribution architecture: central control plane with tenant clusters scheduling pods onto distributed edge site nodes
Central control plane managing tenant workloads across distributed edge sites

What makes this path different: The compute is distributed but the control plane is not. Your ops team manages the full fleet from one place. Tenants get a standard Kubernetes experience regardless of which edge site their workload lands on.

Day 0: Design decisions​

DecisionRead nextOutcome
Design the central-edge topologyStandalone deployment, VPNCentral Standalone hosts all tenant control planes. Edge sites contribute worker nodes over VPN.
Define edge site requirementsNode requirementsDocument the OS, networking, and connectivity requirements for each edge site before joining nodes.
Plan node labeling and schedulingPrivate NodesLabel nodes by site, region, or tier so tenant workloads can be scheduled to the correct edge location.
Plan tenant isolation at edgevNode docsDecide whether edge workloads need runtime isolation, especially for multi-tenant edge sites.

Day 1: Stand up the first edge site​

  1. Deploy vCluster Standalone centrally and move to HA.
  2. Install vCluster Platform and configure SSO and permissions.
  3. Establish VPN connectivity to the first edge site.
  4. Join edge site nodes to the central Control Plane Cluster. Apply site labels.
  5. Create a template that schedules tenant workloads to the correct edge site via node selectors or affinity rules.
  6. Provision a test tenant cluster. Validate that pods land on the intended edge nodes.
  7. Document the site onboarding playbook. Repeat steps 3-6 for each additional edge site.

Day 2: Operate​

OperationRead next
Monitor edge nodes and tenant workloadsFleet monitoring
Add and remove edge sitesSite onboarding playbook (internal), VPN
Upgrade tenant clusters and PlatformUpgrade vCluster, upgrade Platform
Handle site connectivity failuresPlatform HA, multi-region Platform