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kube-vip
What kube-vip is
kube-vip provides Kubernetes clusters with a virtual IP and load balancing for control plane traffic and Services of type LoadBalancer. It is designed for Linux and self-hosted environments, including bare metal, on-premises systems, edge devices such as ARM boards and Raspberry Pi, and virtualization. Virtual IP addresses can use IPv4, IPv6, or DNS names, with ARP, BGP, routing table, and WireGuard network modes available.
For control plane high availability, kube-vip supports leader election, kubeadm static Pods, and DaemonSets for K3s and other distributions. LoadBalancer Services can use ARP with leader election or BGP across multiple nodes. Address management includes namespace or cluster pools, CIDR blocks or IP ranges, DHCP, and UPnP. The project also documents a kube-vip Cloud Provider and integrations with vendor APIs.
It can run as static Pods or as a DaemonSet within the Kubernetes cluster it serves. An optional service security setting can restrict traffic to service ports; it is disabled by default. kube-vip is free and open source under Apache-2.0. It provides Layer 4 routing, is not a managed service, and directs users to its documentation and GitHub issues for support.
Who it suits
kube-vip suits teams running Kubernetes on Linux that need virtual IPs and Layer 4 load balancing for control plane or LoadBalancer Services. Its deployment options and support for bare metal, edge devices, on-premises environments, and virtualization make it relevant to self-hosted clusters.
What it does well
- Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license.
- Supports IPv4, IPv6, and DNS name VIPs.
- Offers ARP, BGP, routing table, and WireGuard modes.
- Can run as static Pods or a DaemonSet.
- Supports DHCP, UPnP, and address pools for LoadBalancer Services.
What to know first
- Linux and self-hosted platforms are listed.
- It is not a managed service.
- It does not provide Layer 7 routing.
Getting started
- Open the kube-vip website and consult its documentation.
- Choose a static Pod or DaemonSet deployment inside the Kubernetes cluster.
- Select a network mode and configure the VIP address.
- Configure control plane or LoadBalancer Service behavior for the cluster.
Verdict
Choose kube-vip if a Linux Kubernetes cluster needs virtual IPs, control plane high availability, or Layer 4 balancing for LoadBalancer Services. Look elsewhere if you need a managed service or Layer 7 routing.
Questions
How much does kube-vip cost?
kube-vip is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license.
Which platforms does kube-vip support?
The listed platforms are Linux and self-hosted environments.
Can kube-vip run as a managed service?
No. kube-vip is not a managed service.
Does kube-vip provide Layer 7 routing?
No. It provides Layer 4 routing and does not provide Layer 7 routing.
Where can users get support?
The project directs users to its documentation and GitHub issue tracker.
Facts from kube-vip's own pages
- Access control
- The installation documentation says an RBAC manifest is required for a DaemonSet deployment. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Address support
- VIP addresses can be IPv4, IPv6, or DNS names, with dynamic DNS support for control-plane load balancing. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Control plane features
- Control-plane features include floating IPs using ARP or BGP, leader election, kubeadm static Pod support, and K3s DaemonSet support. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Control plane HA
- Control plane support includes leader election, kubeadm static Pods, and K3s and other distributions using DaemonSets. · kube-vip.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- It runs inside the Kubernetes cluster it serves, without relying on external hardware or software. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The documentation describes a kube-vip cloud provider for assigning IP addresses to Kubernetes LoadBalancer Services and lists vendor API integrations. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Intended environments
- The project highlights bare metal, on-premises, edge devices including ARM and Raspberry Pi, and virtualisation. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub repository identifies the project license as Apache-2.0. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Linux requirement
- The cloud-provider installation instructions state that Linux is the only operating-system requirement. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Networking modes
- The documented modes include ARP, BGP, routing tables, and WireGuard; the modes page says they are disjunctive and only one can be enabled at a time. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Network modes
- It supports ARP, BGP, routing table, and WireGuard modes. · kube-vip.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Project status
- The documentation describes kube-vip as an open-source project and says it is used in production environments. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- kube-vip provides a virtual IP and load balancer for Kubernetes control planes and Services of type LoadBalancer. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Service features
- For LoadBalancer Services, kube-vip supports BGP across multiple nodes, address pools scoped per namespace or cluster, CIDR blocks or IP ranges, DHCP, and UPnP gateway exposure. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
- Service load balancing
- For LoadBalancer Services, it supports leader election with ARP, multiple nodes with BGP, namespace or cluster address pools, CIDR blocks or IP ranges, DHCP, and UPnP. · kube-vip.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Service security feature
- A service security option can restrict traffic to service ports and defaults to disabled. · kube-vip.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project README directs users to raise issues on its GitHub repository and consult the documentation. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Support channels
- The project roadmap directs users to Issues, Slack, or email at the kube-vip.io catch-all address. · kube-vip.io, 11 Oct 2026
Where kube-vip stands on Freedom251
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