Overview

Calico is one of the most popular CNI plugins for Kubernetes. It is known for its high performance and its powerful network policy engine, which allows for fine-grained control over traffic flow.

Key Features

  • Layer 3 Networking: Uses standard BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) for routing, providing excellent scalability and performance.
  • Network Policy: Implements the Kubernetes NetworkPolicy API and extends it with its own GlobalNetworkPolicy for more advanced rules.
  • Encryption: Supports WireGuard for secure, high-performance pod-to-pod encryption.
  • Multi-Cloud Support: Works across all major cloud providers and on-premises environments.

Use Case

Ideal for production clusters requiring high performance and robust security controls.

Related Terms