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kube-vip
What it is
kube-vip provides Kubernetes clusters with a virtual IP and load balancing for control-plane traffic and Services of type LoadBalancer. It is free, open source under Apache-2.0, and intended for self-hosted Linux environments such as bare metal, on-premises systems, edge devices, and virtualization. Virtual IPs can use IPv4, IPv6, or DNS names. Networking modes include ARP, BGP, routing tables, and WireGuard, but only one mode can be enabled at a time. For control-plane high availability, kube-vip supports leader election, kubeadm static Pods, and DaemonSets for K3s and other distributions. LoadBalancer Services can use ARP with leader election or BGP across multiple nodes, as well as address pools, CIDR blocks or IP ranges, DHCP, and UPnP. It can run as a static Pod or DaemonSet inside the cluster it serves. A service-security option can restrict traffic to service ports, but it is disabled by default. The project directs users to its documentation and support channels for assistance.
For and against
For
- Supports IPv4, IPv6, and DNS-name virtual IPs.
- Provides control-plane high-availability options.
- Supports LoadBalancer Services with ARP or BGP.
- Can run as a static Pod or DaemonSet.
- Free and open source under Apache-2.0.
Against
- Only one networking mode can be enabled at a time.
- The service-port security option is disabled by default.
- Linux is the only stated operating-system requirement.
- It is not a managed service.
The verdict
kube-vip offers virtual IP and load-balancing capabilities for self-hosted Kubernetes, with several network modes and deployment options. Teams must choose a single network mode and manage their own deployment.
Who it suits
It suits teams operating self-hosted Kubernetes on Linux, including bare-metal, on-premises, edge, or virtualized environments. Users should be comfortable deploying and managing it within their clusters.
On the record
- Access control
- The installation documentation says an RBAC manifest is required for a DaemonSet deployment.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- Address support
- VIP addresses can be IPv4, IPv6, or DNS names, with dynamic DNS support for control-plane load balancing.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- Control plane features
- Control-plane features include floating IPs using ARP or BGP, leader election, kubeadm static Pod support, and K3s DaemonSet support.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- Control plane HA
- Control plane support includes leader election, kubeadm static Pods, and K3s and other distributions using DaemonSets.kube-vip.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- It runs inside the Kubernetes cluster it serves, without relying on external hardware or software.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The documentation describes a kube-vip cloud provider for assigning IP addresses to Kubernetes LoadBalancer Services and lists vendor API integrations.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- Intended environments
- The project highlights bare metal, on-premises, edge devices including ARM and Raspberry Pi, and virtualisation.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub repository identifies the project license as Apache-2.0.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Linux requirement
- The cloud-provider installation instructions state that Linux is the only operating-system requirement.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- 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.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- Network modes
- It supports ARP, BGP, routing table, and WireGuard modes.kube-vip.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Project status
- The documentation describes kube-vip as an open-source project and says it is used in production environments.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- kube-vip provides a virtual IP and load balancer for Kubernetes control planes and Services of type LoadBalancer.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- 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.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
- 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.kube-vip.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Service security feature
- A service security option can restrict traffic to service ports and defaults to disabled.kube-vip.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project README directs users to raise issues on its GitHub repository and consult the documentation.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Support channels
- The project roadmap directs users to Issues, Slack, or email at the kube-vip.io catch-all address.kube-vip.io · read 11 Oct 2026
