Gardener vs Mirantis Kubernetes Engine
Gardener
gardener.cloud
Mirantis Kubernetes Engine
docs.mirantis.comSide by side
| Figure | Gardener | Mirantis Kubernetes Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Kubernetes Management Platforms | 7.6 (#16) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Purpose | Gardener is a managed Kubernetes service framework for delivering fully managed clusters at scale through your own Gardener installation. | MKE 4 is an enterprise Kubernetes platform built on the open-source k0s distribution. |
| Security | Gardener mandates the DISA Security Technical Implementation Guide for Kubernetes and provides adopters a compliance checker for demonstrating DISA Kubernetes STIG compliance. | Mirantis describes MKE 4 as secure by default and says its default components are FIPS-validated. |
| Support | The documentation directs users to community channels, GitHub Issues, and the Gardener community on Slack for assistance and questions. | Mirantis offers a choice of 24/7 proactive support or managed services for MKE 4. |
Plans
In their own words
Mirantis Kubernetes Engine
Mirantis Kubernetes Engine (MKE 4) is a self-hosted enterprise Kubernetes platform built on the open-source k0s distribution. It supports deployment across public and private clouds, multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments, and bare-metal infrastructure. Teams manage cluster lifecycle with the mkectl command-line tool and a declarative mke4.yaml configuration file; standardized APIs and GitOps-based lifecycle management are also listed. A cluster combines k0s, a container network interface, the MKE control plane, system services, and user services. Calico is installed by default, with other network interface options supported. The web dashboard manages Kubernetes resources in an MKE-managed cluster. Backup and restore are supported, and the CLI upgrade process includes automated backups. Authentication through Dex supports OIDC, SAML, and LDAP, but not MFA. MKE 4 requires x86_64 and Linux manager/control-plane nodes; supported operating systems include specified Ubuntu, RHEL, and Rocky Linux versions, plus Windows Server worker nodes. A valid license is required, and a trial license is available on request. Mirantis offers 24/7 proactive support or managed services.