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SPECIFICTION
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kube-vip

kube-vip.io

LinuxSelf-hosted
Visit kube-vip.io
Spec score 6.9 #15 of 32 in Load Balancing Software

What it is

kube-vip is free, open-source software that gives Kubernetes clusters a virtual IP and load balancing for control-plane traffic and LoadBalancer Services. It targets Linux, self-hosted deployments such as bare metal, on-premises systems, virtualization, and edge devices including ARM hardware and Raspberry Pi. Virtual IPs may be IPv4, IPv6, or DNS names. Networking modes are ARP, BGP, routing tables, and WireGuard; the documented modes are disjunctive, so only one can be enabled at a time. kube-vip can run as a static Pod or DaemonSet inside the cluster it serves. Control-plane options include leader election, kubeadm static Pods, and K3s or other distribution DaemonSets. Service support includes BGP across nodes, address pools, CIDR or ranges, DHCP, and UPnP. It uses Apache-2.0 licensing and provides Layer 4 routing, not Layer 7 routing.

Spec sheet

Purpose
kube-vip provides a virtual IP and load balancer for Kubernetes control planes and Services of type LoadBalancer.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Deployment
It runs inside the Kubernetes cluster it serves, without relying on external hardware or software.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Integrations
The documentation describes a kube-vip cloud provider for assigning IP addresses to Kubernetes LoadBalancer Services and lists vendor API integrations.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Support
The project README directs users to raise issues on its GitHub repository and consult the documentation.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
License
The GitHub repository identifies the project license as Apache-2.0.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Access control
The installation documentation says an RBAC manifest is required for a DaemonSet deployment.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Address support
VIP addresses can be IPv4, IPv6, or DNS names, with dynamic DNS support for control-plane load balancing.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Control plane features
Control-plane features include floating IPs using ARP or BGP, leader election, kubeadm static Pod support, and K3s DaemonSet support.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Control plane HA
Control plane support includes leader election, kubeadm static Pods, and K3s and other distributions using DaemonSets.Read 4 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Intended environments
The project highlights bare metal, on-premises, edge devices including ARM and Raspberry Pi, and virtualisation.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Linux requirement
The cloud-provider installation instructions state that Linux is the only operating-system requirement.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Network modes
It supports ARP, BGP, routing table, and WireGuard modes.Read 4 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Networking modes
The documented modes include ARP, BGP, routing tables, and WireGuard; the modes page says they are disjunctive and only one can be enabled at a time.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Project status
The documentation describes kube-vip as an open-source project and says it is used in production environments.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Service features
For LoadBalancer Services, kube-vip supports BGP across multiple nodes, address pools scoped per namespace or cluster, CIDR blocks or IP ranges, DHCP, and UPnP gateway exposure.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Service load balancing
For LoadBalancer Services, it supports leader election with ARP, multiple nodes with BGP, namespace or cluster address pools, CIDR blocks or IP ranges, DHCP, and UPnP.Read 4 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Service security feature
A service security option can restrict traffic to service ports and defaults to disabled.Read 4 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io
Support channels
The project roadmap directs users to Issues, Slack, or email at the kube-vip.io catch-all address.Read 11 Oct 2026 · kube-vip.io

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Supports IPv4, IPv6, and DNS-name virtual IPs
  • Offers ARP, BGP, routing-table, and WireGuard modes
  • Runs as static Pod or DaemonSet
  • Supports service address pools, CIDR ranges, DHCP, and UPnP
  • Free open-source Apache-2.0 project

Limits

  • Linux is the only stated operating-system requirement
  • Only one documented network mode can be enabled
  • Service security is disabled by default
  • Not a managed service

Who it suits

It suits teams operating Linux Kubernetes clusters themselves, especially on bare metal, on-premises, virtualized, or edge infrastructure. It is intended for control-plane availability and Layer 4 service load balancing.

Verdict

kube-vip covers virtual IPs, control-plane high availability, and LoadBalancer Services in self-hosted Kubernetes. Its Linux focus, single-mode networking choice, and configuration responsibilities matter for deployment planning.

Where Specifiction places it

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