Harvester
What it is
Harvester is free, open-source hyperconverged infrastructure for bare-metal servers, combining virtualization and distributed storage. It is designed for virtual machines, Kubernetes in VMs, containerized workloads on bare metal, and edge workloads. Its architecture uses Kubernetes, KubeVirt, Longhorn, Grafana, Prometheus, and SUSE Linux Micro. Users can create, edit, clone, and delete VMs, with SSH key injection, cloud-init, and graphical or serial consoles. Live migration moves a VM to another host without downtime, but physical servers need matching CPU specifications. Storage includes distributed block storage and tiering; VM backups use NFS or S3-compatible targets and are limited to Longhorn volumes. Harvester installs directly onto bare-metal servers from a bootable ISO, and new installations starting with v1.8 require UEFI boot. Three nodes are required for multi-node features and high availability; single-node clusters do not support high availability, multiple replicas, or live migration. Production recommendations call for at least 16 CPU cores, 64 GB memory, 500 GB disk, and 10 Gbps Ethernet. Laptops and nested virtualization are unsupported.
For and against
For
- Combines virtualization and distributed storage.
- Supports VM creation, cloning, and live migration.
- VM backups can use NFS or S3-compatible targets.
- Rancher can manage multiple Harvester clusters.
Against
- Three nodes are required for high availability.
- Live migration requires matching physical CPU specifications.
- VM backups support only Longhorn volumes.
- Laptops and nested virtualization are unsupported.
The verdict
Harvester brings VM management and distributed storage together for bare-metal deployments. Plan around its three-node requirement for high availability, hardware recommendations, and limits on migration and backups.
Who it suits
Harvester suits teams running VMs, Kubernetes-based workloads, or containers on bare metal, including edge deployments. It requires bare-metal installation and is not intended for laptops or nested virtualization.
Plans and prices
Harvester
100% open source · no license fees stated
Read 2 Oct 2026 · harvesterhci.io
On the record
- Cluster requirements
- Three nodes are required to fully realize multi-node features and high availability; single-node clusters do not support high availability, multiple replicas, or live migration.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Harvester installs directly on bare-metal servers from a bootable ISO; new installations starting with v1.8 require UEFI boot.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Hardware limits
- The production recommendations include at least 16 CPU cores, 64 GB memory, 500 GB disk, and 10 Gbps Ethernet; laptops and nested virtualization are unsupported.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Intended workloads
- Harvester is aimed at running VMs, Kubernetes in VMs, containerized workloads on bare metal, and workloads at the edge.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Live migration
- Harvester supports moving a VM to another host or node with zero downtime, and live migration requires matching CPU specifications across physical servers.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Networking
- Harvester supports virtual IPs, multiple network interface cards, VLAN or untagged networks, and requires port trunking for VLAN support.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Operating system
- Harvester uses an immutable operating system that prevents direct changes to the core system image outside designated configuration directories.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Product
- Harvester is open-source hyperconverged infrastructure for bare-metal servers, combining virtualization and distributed storage.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Rancher integration
- Rancher can import and manage multiple Harvester clusters and manage their VMs alongside Kubernetes clusters.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Security and access
- Rancher integration supports authentication and role-based access control for multi-tenancy; Harvester's Rancher RBAC integration is documented as experimental.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Storage and backup
- Harvester provides distributed block storage and tiering; VM backups use NFS or S3-compatible targets, and backup support is limited to Longhorn volumes.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Support lifecycle
- The maker's docs state that Prime releases receive six months of active support followed by twelve months of maintenance support for critical security-related issues.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- Technology
- Its architecture uses Kubernetes, KubeVirt, Longhorn, Grafana, and Prometheus, with SUSE Linux Micro at its core.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
- VM management
- The platform supports creating, editing, cloning, and deleting VMs, with SSH key injection, cloud-init, and graphical and serial consoles.docs.harvesterhci.io · read 2 Oct 2026
