Cilium
eBPF-based Networking, Observability, and Security.
Overview
Cilium is an open-source project that provides networking, observability, and security for container workloads. It is built on top of the Linux kernel technology eBPF, which allows for dynamic insertion of powerful security, visibility, and networking control logic into the kernel.
✨ Key Features
- eBPF-based data plane for high performance
- Identity-based security
- API-aware network policy enforcement (HTTP, gRPC, Kafka)
- Service Mesh capabilities (via sidecar-less model)
- Hubble: Network and security observability platform
- Cluster Mesh for multi-cluster networking
🎯 Key Differentiators
- eBPF-native implementation for performance and visibility
- API-aware security policies
- Integrated service mesh capabilities without sidecars
Unique Value: Provides a highly performant and secure networking layer for cloud-native applications with deep, API-level visibility, all powered by eBPF.
🎯 Use Cases (4)
✅ Best For
- Used as the default CNI for Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and other major cloud providers.
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Environments running on older Linux kernels that lack sufficient eBPF support.
🏆 Alternatives
Offers better performance and less overhead than traditional IPtables-based CNIs and sidecar-based service meshes.
💻 Platforms
🔌 Integrations
🛟 Support Options
- ✓ Email Support
- ✓ Dedicated Support (Enterprise tier)
💰 Pricing
✓ 14-day free trial
Free tier: Cilium open source is free.
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