Cluster API vs KubeClipper

Cluster API is an open-source project for managing the lifecycle of multiple Kubernetes clusters through declarative APIs and tooling. Platform operators can use it to create, scale, upgrade, and destroy Kubernetes-conformant clusters across on-premises and cloud environments. Provider implementations are interchangeable; kubeadm is the default bootstrap provider. The ecosystem includes infrastructure, bootstrap, control plane, IPAM, addon, and runtime extensions, with environments such as AWS, Azure, GCP, OpenStack, vSphere, and KubeVirt. A management cluster can use clusterctl or the Cluster API Operator to manage provider components. Clusterctl fetches provider component YAML and installs it, while the Operator uses a declarative approach intended to support GitOps workflows. Getting started requires an existing Kubernetes cluster accessible through kubectl; kind, Docker, and Helm are common prerequisites. Cluster API supports multi-cluster provisioning and upgrades, but does not manage a single cluster spanning multiple infrastructure providers or clusters it did not provision. It is free and open source. The project supports its latest two minor releases, with each supported for roughly 12 months including maintenance.

KubeClipper is a free, open-source service for managing Kubernetes clusters on an organization’s own infrastructure. Its web interface, APIs, and kcctl command-line tool support cluster deployment and lifecycle operations across cloud, hypervisor, and bare-metal environments. Users can create, delete, upgrade, back up, restore, and scale clusters, and register clusters built elsewhere. Deployment can be online, offline, or through a proxy; a graphical wizard helps set up clusters and required plugins. Node tools include automatic registration, information collection, and a terminal. Access controls include role-based and custom permissions, with OIDC login for external users. Backups cover etcd data and Kubernetes resource objects, using filesystem or S3 storage such as NFS or MinIO; files produced by resources and files on persistent volumes are outside that backup scope. The project lists x86/64 and arm64 support and extensible management of CRI, CNI, CSI, and CRD components. Worker-node addition and removal are the currently supported node changes.