Side by side
Cilium vs Faucet
Both stand on software-defined networking software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
Cilium brings networking, policy, security, and observability features together for Linux workload environments. Check kernel and scale requirements before choosing an installation path.
Visit Cilium
Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
Choose Faucet if you operate production networks with supported OpenFlow switches and want a free, self-hosted controller with routing, policy, and monitoring capabilities. Look elsewhere if your hardware depends on vendor-specific pipelines such as Broadcom OFDPA, or if you need RADIUS accounting or multiple RADIUS servers.
Visit FaucetThe facts
| Cilium | Faucet | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted | Linux, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Not published |
| Plans published | 1 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | cilium.io | faucet.nz |
| On software-defined networking software | #2 of 26 | #6 of 26 |
Cilium: what it does well
- Open-source software for workload networking.
- Identity-aware policies cover L3–L7.
- Hubble provides service communication visibility.
- Integrates with Prometheus and Grafana.
What to know first
- Requires AMD64 or AArch64 hosts.
- Requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later, or equivalent.
- Environments above 500 nodes need separate guidance.
- ztunnel encryption support is marked beta.
Faucet: what it does well
- Free and licensed under Apache-2.0.
- Supports VLANs, IPv4, IPv6, static routing, and BGP.
- Includes ACLs, port mirroring, and switch stacking.
- Supports Prometheus, Grafana, and InfluxDB monitoring.
- Offers pip3, apt-get, and Docker installation routes.
What to know first
- Requires switches supporting OpenFlow 1.3.x with multiple tables.
- Vendor-specific pipelines such as Broadcom OFDPA are unsupported.
- Supports one RADIUS server, without accounting or multiple-server support.
- High availability does not share controller state.
Alternatives to Cilium Alternatives to Faucet The whole list