Calico
Open-source networking and security for containers and Kubernetes.
Overview
Project Calico is an open-source networking and network security solution for containers, virtual machines, and native host-based workloads. Calico supports a broad range of platforms including Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker EE, OpenStack, and bare metal services. It provides high-performance networking and granular network policy enforcement.
✨ Key Features
- Kubernetes Network Policy Enforcement
- High-performance data plane (eBPF, standard Linux, Windows)
- Fine-grained, label-based network policies
- Works with a wide range of platforms
- DNS Policies
- Observability and Troubleshooting Tools
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Broad platform support beyond Kubernetes
- Choice of data planes (eBPF, Linux IP-in-IP, VXLAN)
- Mature and widely adopted in the community
Unique Value: Provides a unified platform for networking, network security, and observability across diverse environments, from containers to VMs and bare metal.
🎯 Use Cases (4)
✅ Best For
- Default CNI and network policy for major cloud providers' managed Kubernetes services.
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Environments without a need for granular, pod-to-pod network security.
🏆 Alternatives
Offers broader platform compatibility and more data plane options compared to some newer, Kubernetes-only solutions.
💻 Platforms
🔌 Integrations
🛟 Support Options
- ✓ Email Support
- ✓ Dedicated Support (Enterprise/Cloud tier)
💰 Pricing
✓ 14-day free trial
Free tier: Calico Open Source is free. Calico Cloud has a free tier for observability & policy management for a single cluster.
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