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Cloud-native Networking

Technologies that connect, secure and observe containers and microservices, from Cilium and eBPF to service meshes and the Gateway API.

29 topics•6 categories•Updated November 2026

CNI Plugins & eBPF Networking

6 entries

Pod networking, network policy and kernel-level data planes.

01CiliumeBPF-based networking, observability and security for Kubernetes. Cilium enhances multi-cloud and multi-tenancy networking with Cluster Mesh for connecting clusters, identity-based network policy and optional service mesh features. A CNCF graduated project. 02CalicoWidely used CNI and network policy engine for Kubernetes, with iptables, nftables and eBPF data planes and optional WireGuard encryption. 03AntreaKubernetes networking solution built on Open vSwitch, providing pod networking and network policy. 04FlannelSimple overlay network for Kubernetes that gives each node a subnet, a lightweight choice for basic pod networking. 05Multus CNIMeta plugin that lets Kubernetes pods attach to multiple network interfaces. 06Kube-OVNCNI that brings Open vSwitch-based features such as subnets, VPC-style isolation and gateways to Kubernetes.

Service Mesh & Proxies

4 entries

Secure, observe and control service-to-service traffic.

07IstioOpen-source service mesh for traffic management, mutual TLS and telemetry, with sidecar and ambient data plane modes. 08LinkerdLightweight service mesh for Kubernetes focused on simplicity, security and reliability. 09EnvoyHigh-performance edge and service proxy that forms the data plane of many meshes and gateways. 10TraefikCloud-native application proxy and ingress controller with automatic service discovery.

Ingress, Gateway API & Load Balancing

2 entries

Bring traffic into clusters and balance it.

11Kubernetes Gateway APIOfficial Kubernetes API for expressive, role-oriented routing, the successor to Ingress for many use cases, implemented by many projects. 12MetalLBLoad balancer implementation for bare-metal Kubernetes clusters using standard routing protocols.

Multi-Cluster, DNS & Observability

5 entries

Connect clusters, resolve services and see the traffic.

13SubmarinerConnects pods and services across multiple Kubernetes clusters with encrypted tunnels and cross-cluster service discovery. 14CoreDNSFlexible DNS server and the default cluster DNS in Kubernetes, extended through plugins. 15ExternalDNSSynchronizes exposed Kubernetes services and ingresses with DNS providers. 16HubbleNetwork and security observability layer for Cilium, showing service dependencies and flows. 17TetragoneBPF-based security observability and runtime enforcement from the Cilium project.

Standards & Learning

3 entries

Specifications and reference material.

18eBPFHome of eBPF, the Linux kernel technology that runs sandboxed programs for networking, observability and security. 19CNI SpecificationContainer Network Interface specification and plugins for configuring container networking. 20Kubernetes Networking ConceptsOfficial documentation on Services, Ingress, DNS and NetworkPolicy.

Related Pages

9 entries

Related directories on this site.

21Kubernetes Networking SolutionsNetworking options for Kubernetes. 22Container Networking SolutionsNetworking for containers. 23Service MeshesService mesh directory. 24Docker NetworkingNetworking in Docker. 25Cloud Networking VendorsVendors of cloud networking. 26Network Security MicrosegmentationLimiting lateral movement inside networks. 27Cloud-native ComputingCloud-native technologies hub. 28KubernetesKubernetes hub. 29IT NetworkingNetworking hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cloud-native networking?

Networking designed for containers and microservices: dynamic pod addressing, service discovery, network policy, load balancing and traffic control that follow workloads as they scale and move.

What is a CNI plugin?

A Container Network Interface plugin sets up networking for pods in Kubernetes, assigning addresses and connecting them. Cilium, Calico, Antrea and Flannel are examples.

What is Cilium?

Cilium is a CNCF graduated project that uses eBPF for Kubernetes networking, observability and security. It supports identity-based network policy and Cluster Mesh for multi-cluster connectivity.

How does Cilium help with multi-cloud and multi-tenancy?

Cluster Mesh connects clusters across clouds with shared service discovery, while identity-based policy and per-namespace controls help isolate tenants. Check the Cilium documentation for the features your version supports.

What is eBPF?

A Linux kernel technology that runs small sandboxed programs inside the kernel, used for fast networking, observability and security without changing kernel code.

What is the difference between a CNI and a service mesh?

A CNI provides basic pod connectivity and network policy at layers 3 and 4. A service mesh adds service-level features such as mutual TLS, retries and traffic splitting, often at layer 7.

What is the Gateway API?

A Kubernetes API for routing traffic into and within clusters, designed to be more expressive and role-oriented than Ingress.

How do I choose a CNI?

Consider network policy needs, performance, observability, multi-cluster requirements, cloud provider support and operational skills. Test candidates in your own environment.

How were these tools chosen?

The page lists widely used open-source projects across CNI, service mesh, gateways, multi-cluster networking and observability. Descriptions summarize each project's own documentation, so verify current features and licensing.