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Liqo

liqo.io

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Spec score 7.1 #18 of 28 in Container Networking Software

What it is

Liqo connects Kubernetes clusters into multi-cluster topologies, allowing them to share namespaces, resources, and workload capacity. It can extend consumer namespaces and replicate configurations, secrets, services, and other resources. A remote cluster appears as a virtual node, so the consumer cluster can schedule workloads there. Liqo’s network fabric connects pods across peered clusters using WireGuard VPN tunnels by default, and it describes cross-cluster storage support for stateful workloads. Peering can be declared with Kubernetes resources and managed through GitOps tools such as ArgoCD. The liqoctl CLI installs and uninstalls Liqo, manages peering, configures namespace-level offloading, and reports status. Liqo targets heterogeneous on-premises, public cloud, edge, and multi-cloud environments, with support listed for Kubernetes, Kubeadm, K3s, K0s, AKS, EKS, GKE, Aruba Cloud KaaS, and OpenShift. It is free and open source under Apache-2.0. Liqo requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later and recommends at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM for a cluster.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Liqo is an open-source project for creating dynamic Kubernetes multi-cluster topologies across on-premise, cloud, and edge infrastructures.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Integrations
The installation guide describes using Helm 3 to install Liqo, and the CLI supports kubectl-style Kubernetes API access.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Security
The requirements page says the network gateway uses WireGuard over UDP and the Kubernetes API server uses HTTPS over TCP.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Support
The official site links to Liqo’s documentation, quick-start guide, and community Slack.Read 9 Oct 2026 · liqo.io
License
The official site says Liqo is licensed under Apache-2.0.Read 9 Oct 2026 · liqo.io
CLI platforms
The liqoctl CLI provides downloads for Linux, macOS, and Windows.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Compatibility limit
Liqo guarantees compatibility with the latest three Kubernetes major releases; older releases may work but are not officially supported.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Kubernetes support
Liqo is guaranteed compatible with the latest three Kubernetes major releases; older releases may work but are not officially supported.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Management tool
The liqoctl CLI installs and uninstalls Liqo, manages peering, configures namespace-level offloading, and reports status.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Namespace extension
Liqo can extend consumer namespaces across clusters and replicate configurations, secrets, services, and other resources.Read 4 Oct 2026 · liqo.io
Networking
Liqo provides cross-cluster pod-to-pod and pod-to-service connectivity across different CNI configurations, using secured network tunnels for cross-cluster traffic.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Peering
Liqo automatically establishes peer-to-peer resource and service relationships between independent clusters.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Requirements
Liqo requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later and recommends at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM for the cluster.Read 4 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Security configuration
Liqo can propagate ServiceAccount tokens to remote clusters, and the documentation describes disabling API-server support if this is a security concern.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Storage
Liqo’s storage fabric supports remote execution of stateful workloads using a data-gravity approach.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Supported environments
The official site says Liqo supports on-premise, public cloud, edge, and multi-cloud environments, including managed or self-hosted Kubernetes distributions.Read 9 Oct 2026 · liqo.io
System requirements
Liqo requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later and the documentation suggests a cluster with at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io
Workload offloading
Liqo can offload workloads to remote clusters without requiring changes to Kubernetes or the applications.Read 9 Oct 2026 · docs.liqo.io

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Extends namespaces and replicates cluster resources.
  • Represents remote clusters as virtual nodes for scheduling.
  • Connects pods using WireGuard VPN tunnels by default.
  • Supports declarative peering and GitOps management.
  • Free and open source under Apache-2.0.

Limits

  • Requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later.
  • Recommends at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM.
  • Guarantees compatibility only with the latest three Kubernetes major releases.
  • Can propagate ServiceAccount tokens to remote clusters.

Who it suits

Liqo suits teams managing workloads across heterogeneous Kubernetes clusters, including on-premises, cloud, edge, or multi-cloud environments. Its requirements and Kubernetes compatibility range should be checked against the clusters in use.

Verdict

Liqo provides a way to peer clusters, offload workloads, and connect pod networking, with CLI tools for setup and status. Check kernel and Kubernetes versions, resource recommendations, and the documented ServiceAccount-token configuration before deployment.

Where Specifiction places it

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