What is Cluster API and Why is it Useful?
Cluster API (CAPI) is a powerful tool for managing the lifecycle of Kubernetes workload clusters. It provides an abstraction layer that simplifies the provisioning and management of clusters across various platforms.
CAPI allows us to create a standardized and consistent experience when deploying Kubernetes clusters, regardless of the underlying infrastructure.
How We Use Cluster API
At Eupraxia Labs, we leverage Cluster API to streamline the deployment of Kubernetes clusters. We create a Cluster API management cluster, known as the Federal Frontier Management Cluster (FMC), by installing Cluster API on an existing Kubernetes cluster using 'clusterctl'.
We integrate Kubernetes CAPI providers like K8s, Canonical Microk8s, Mirantis K0s, and K3s into FMC, enabling them to run on various infrastructures, including bare metal clouds (BMC), virtual machines (VM), on-premises, in the cloud, or on the edge.
Benefits of Cluster API
The adoption of Cluster API (CAPI) within an organization brings numerous benefits. Some key advantages include:
- Standardization of cluster provisioning.
- Abstraction of platform-specific requirements, such as security, networking and storage.
- Consistent experience across different target infrastructures.
- Significantly reduced time-to-market or time-to-mission.