Sveltos

What Sveltos is
Sveltos is an open-source Kubernetes add-on controller for deploying and managing applications across clusters from a central management plane. It supports Helm charts, raw YAML and JSON, Kustomize overlays, Carvel ytt, and Jsonnet, and integrates with Flux sources to distribute configurations in GitOps workflows. Label selectors target clusters, while ClusterProfile and namespace-scoped Profile resources support fleet-wide or tenant-specific setups. Sveltos monitors deployed resources for configuration drift and can report differences or reconcile them to the desired state, depending on configuration. Its event framework uses Lua or CEL conditions to trigger deployments or updates. ClusterPromotion supports staged rollouts; enterprise rollout pipelines add health checks between stages. Pull Mode lets an agent in a managed cluster poll outbound, supporting restricted or air-gapped environments without inbound firewall rules. Notifications can go to Slack, Teams, Discord, Webex, Telegram, SMTP, or Kubernetes events. The free Open Source offering includes core features and community support. Enterprise Premium costs $960 a year per cluster and includes SLA-backed priority technical support.
Who it suits
Sveltos suits Kubernetes teams managing add-ons and applications across multiple clusters. Pull Mode may fit restricted or air-gapped environments, while tenant-specific profiles support separate configurations.
What it does well
- Supports Helm, YAML/JSON, Kustomize, ytt, and Jsonnet
- Can report or reconcile configuration drift
- Stages cluster rollouts with ClusterPromotion
- Free core features include community Slack support
What to know first
- Enterprise Premium costs $960 a year per cluster
- Priority SLA-backed support is listed for Enterprise Premium
Limits
The Open Source plan is free per cluster and includes core features with community support. Enterprise Premium costs $960 a year per cluster.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | per cluster · all Sveltos core features · GitHub issue management · public documentation · community Slack support | Free |
| Enterprise Premium | per cluster / year · priority technical support SLA-backed · priority Slack channel · zero-downtime security patches · priority bug fixes and feature requests · architectural guidance and best practices | $960 a year |
As website.projectsveltos.io lists them, read 30 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit https://website.projectsveltos.io/.
- Install Sveltos on a management cluster using a Helm chart or a single YAML manifest.
- Choose the free Open Source offering or Enterprise Premium.
- Configure application deployment using a supported format such as Helm, YAML/JSON, Kustomize, ytt, or Jsonnet.
- Use cluster labels or Profile resources to target configuration.
Verdict
Sveltos provides multi-cluster deployment, drift management, event automation, and staged rollouts. Teams can start with the free core offering and consider Enterprise Premium for its listed support and rollout capabilities.
Questions
Is Sveltos free?
Yes. The Open Source plan is free per cluster and includes all Sveltos core features, GitHub issue management, public documentation, and community Slack support.
How much does Enterprise Premium cost?
Enterprise Premium costs $960 a year per cluster.
How can I install Sveltos?
It can be installed on a management cluster with a Helm chart or a single YAML manifest.
Which configuration formats does Sveltos support?
It supports Helm charts, raw YAML and JSON, Kustomize overlays, Carvel ytt, and Jsonnet.
Which platforms can it manage?
Supported targets include EKS, AKS, GKE, on-premises Kubernetes, and edge Kubernetes.
What support does Enterprise Premium include?
It lists priority SLA-backed technical support, a priority Slack channel, zero-downtime security patches, priority bug fixes and feature requests, and architectural guidance.
Facts from Sveltos's own pages
- AI management
- The enterprise offering includes an MCP server for natural-language cluster management, troubleshooting, and diagnostics. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Deployment formats
- It supports Helm charts, raw YAML/JSON, Kustomize overlays, Carvel ytt, and Jsonnet. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Drift management
- Sveltos monitors deployed resources for configuration drift and can report drift or reconcile resources to the desired state, depending on configuration. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Event automation
- Its event framework uses Lua or CEL conditions to watch cluster events and trigger resource deployments or updates. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- GitOps
- Sveltos extends GitOps workflows and integrates with Flux sources to distribute configurations across managed clusters. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Installation
- The FAQ says Sveltos can be installed on a management cluster with a Helm chart or a single YAML manifest. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Notifications
- Sveltos can send notifications through Slack, Teams, Discord, Webex, Telegram, SMTP, or Kubernetes events. · projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Progressive rollouts
- ClusterPromotion supports staged rollouts of cluster configurations and add-ons, with enterprise rollout pipelines offering health checks between stages. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Sveltos is an open-source Kubernetes add-on controller for deploying and managing add-ons and applications across clusters from a central management plane. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Restricted environments
- Pull Mode lets a lightweight agent in a managed cluster initiate outbound polling, avoiding inbound firewall rules and supporting air-gapped or restricted environments. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Scale
- The official site says Sveltos was tested against 15,000 vclusters. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Support
- The free community offering includes GitHub issue management, public documentation, and community Slack support; Enterprise Premium lists priority SLA-backed technical support. · website.projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
- Targeting and tenancy
- Label selectors target clusters, while ClusterProfile and namespace-scoped Profile resources support fleet-wide and tenant-specific configuration. · projectsveltos.io, 30 Sept 2026
Where Sveltos stands on Freedom251
- GitOps Tools#22 of 35
