Open-source Kubernetes networking, network security, and observability software from Tigera.
Calico Open Source is Tigera's open-source offering for Kubernetes networking, network security, and observability. It works across any Kubernetes distribution and extends security policy to virtual machines and bare-metal servers alongside containers. Pluggable data planes include eBPF, iptables, nftables, Windows, and VPP.
The software implements the Kubernetes network policy API, including AdminNetworkPolicy, and adds staged policies plus the Whisker observability interface for flow logs. Calico encrypts in-cluster pod traffic by automatically creating and managing WireGuard tunnels between nodes, and Tigera states that it powers more than one million clusters globally.
| Attribute | Calico Open Source | Antrea | Azure CNI | Cilium — eBPF-Based Networking, Security, and Observability | Kubernetes Networking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Founded | 2016 | 1961 | 1975 | 2015 | 2019 | |
| Sells To | Enterprise | Enterprise | Enterprises, Small Business | Developers, Enterprise | B2B | |
| Pricing Model | Recurring, Software | Recurring, Transactional | SaaS, Transactional | Open Source | B2B Subscription, Freemium | |
| Ownership | Equity, Venture Capital | Public | Public | Open-Source | Privately Held |
Provider
Founded 2016
Sells To Enterprise
Pricing Model Recurring, Software
Ownership Equity, Venture Capital
Provider
Founded 1961
Sells To Enterprise
Pricing Model Recurring, Transactional
Ownership Public
Provider
Founded 1975
Sells To Enterprises, Small Business
Pricing Model SaaS, Transactional
Ownership Public
Provider
Founded 2015
Sells To Developers, Enterprise
Pricing Model Open Source
Ownership Open-Source
Provider
Founded 2019
Sells To B2B
Pricing Model B2B Subscription, Freemium
Ownership Privately Held
Private Connectivity
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