Vcluster
vCluster - Create fully functional virtual Kubernetes clusters - Each vcluster runs inside a namespace of the underlying k8s cluster. It's cheaper than creating separate full-blown clusters and it offers better multi-tenancy and isolation than regular namespaces.
Install / Use
/learn @loft-sh/VclusterREADME
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</div>What is vCluster?
vCluster creates fully functional virtual Kubernetes clusters that run inside namespaces of a host cluster. Each virtual cluster has its own API server, runs on shared or dedicated infrastructure, and gives you flexible tenancy options—from simple namespaces to fully dedicated clusters.
40M+ virtual clusters deployed by companies like Adobe, CoreWeave, Atlan, and NVIDIA.
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🚀 Quick Start
# Install vCluster CLI
brew install loft-sh/tap/vcluster
# Create a virtual cluster
vcluster create my-vcluster --namespace team-x
# Use kubectl as usual - you're now in your virtual cluster!
kubectl get namespaces
Prerequisites: A running Kubernetes cluster and kubectl configured.
🎮 Try Without Installing
No Kubernetes cluster? Try vCluster instantly in your browser:
🆕 What's New
| Version | Feature | Description | |---------|---------|-------------| | v0.30 | vCluster VPN & Netris Integration | Tailscale-powered overlay network and automated network isolation for hybrid infrastructures | | v0.29 | Standalone Mode | Run vCluster without a host cluster—directly on bare metal or VMs | | v0.28 | Auto Nodes | Karpenter-powered dynamic autoscaling for private nodes | | v0.27 | Private Nodes | External nodes with full CNI/CSI isolation | | v0.26 | Hybrid Scheduling & Namespace Syncing | Multiple scheduler support for AI/ML workloads and fine-grained namespace synchronization |
🎯 Use Cases
| Use Case | Description | Learn More | |----------|-------------|------------| | GPU Cloud Providers | Launch managed K8s for GPUs. Give customers isolated, production-grade Kubernetes fast. | View → | | Internal GPU Platform | Maximize GPU utilization without sacrificing isolation. Self-service access for AI/ML teams. | View → | | AI Factory | Run AI on-prem where your data lives. Multi-tenant K8s for training, fine-tuning, inference. | View → | | Bare Metal K8s | Run Kubernetes on bare metal with zero VMs. Isolation without expensive overhead. | View → | | Software Vendors | Ship Kubernetes-native software. Each customer gets their own isolated virtual cluster. | View → | | Cost Savings | Cut Kubernetes costs by consolidating clusters. Sleep mode pauses inactive clusters. | View → |
🏗️ Architectures
vCluster offers multiple deployment architectures. Each builds on the previous, offering progressively more isolation.
Architecture Comparison
| | Shared Nodes | Dedicated Nodes | Private Nodes | Standalone | |---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | Host Cluster | Required | Required | Required | Not Required | | Node Isolation | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | CNI/CSI Isolation | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Best For | Dev/test, cost | Production | Compliance, GPU | Bare metal, edge |
Minimal Configuration
<details> <summary>🔹 Shared Nodes — Maximum density, minimum cost</summary> Virtual clusters share the host cluster's nodes. Workloads run as regular pods in a namespace. <div align="center"> <img src="./assets/vcluster-architecture-shared-nodes.png" alt="Shared Nodes Architecture" width="600"> </div>sync:
fromHost:
nodes:
enabled: false # Uses pseudo nodes
sync:
fromHost:
nodes:
enabled: true
selector:
labels:
tenant: my-tenant
privateNodes:
enabled: true
controlPlane:
service:
spec:
type: NodePort
controlPlane:
standalone:
enabled: true
joinNode:
enabled: true
privateNodes:
enabled: true
autoNodes:
enabled: true
nodeProvider: <provider>
privateNodes:
enabled: true
✨ Key Features
| Feature | Description | |---------|-------------| | 🎛️ Isolated Control Plane | Each vCluster gets its own API server, controller manager, and data store—complete Kubernetes API isolation | | 🔗 Shared Platform Stack | Leverage the host cluster's CNI, CSI, ingress, and other infrastructure—no duplicate platform components | | 🔒 Security & Multi-Tenancy | Tenants get admin access inside their vCluster while having minimal permissions on the host cluster | | 🔄 Resource Syncing | Bidirectional sync of any Kubernetes resource. Pods, services, secrets, configmaps, CRDs, and more | | 💤 Sleep Mode | Pause inactive virtual clusters to save resources. Instant wake when needed | | 🔌 Integrations | Native support for cert-manager, external-secrets, KubeVirt, Istio, and metrics-server | | 📊 High Availability | Multiple replicas with leader election. Embedded etcd or external databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, RDS) |
