Best of 2024: Mirantis Releases k0smotron 1.0 to Simplify Kubernetes Cluster Management

If you’re running Kubernetes at scale across multiple clouds and on-premises servers, you know what a headache it can be to manage all those clusters. The release of k0smotron 1.0, an open-source tool for deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters across any infrastructure — private clouds, public clouds, bare metal and edge, promises to streamline the management of what in many organizations are rapidly becoming fleets of Kubernetes clusters.

Originally launched last summer, k0smotron enables IT teams to host and manage Kubernetes control planes as containers within a cluster. This enables them to rapidly provision new Kubernetes clusters by simply spinning up a hosted control plane without having to provision and maintain separate virtual machines or bare metal servers for the control plane nodes.

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The 1.0 release also boasts several new features. Besides supporting the Kubernetes Cluster API for remotely deploying clusters using secure shell (SSH) connections, it also integrates its AutoPilot feature with Cluster API. This enables fully automated, zero-downtime cluster updates while maintaining high availability (HA).

Speaking of high availability, k0smotron 1.0 also enhances HA by enabling the etcd Kubernetes key-value store to scale independently in its own separate set of Kubernetes pods. This prevents split-brain scenarios from arising when hosted control plane instances get scaled up and down.

K0smotron 1.0 also makes it easier to install and manage the program directly using Cluster API’s clusterctl command line interface. This streamlines adding k0smotron’s multi-cluster functionality to your management cluster.

Last but not least, with its new support for Cluster API’s ClusterClass feature, k0smotron 1.0 makes cluster configurations reusable. This significantly reduces the needed code, making cluster specs easier to read and maintain.
Mirantis offers three levels of support for k0smotron/k0s: LabCare business hours support; OpsCare, which provides 24/7 proactive support; and OpsCare Plus,  a fully-managed 24/7 service.

Most other cluster management tools, such as Rancher or Tanzu, require dedicated control plane nodes/Virtual Machines (VM)s for each cluster. K0smotron’s hosted control plane approach can significantly reduce operational overhead and costs at scale.

K0smotron is also designed to manage multiple Kubernetes clusters across diverse infrastructures, such as private clouds, public clouds, bare metal and edge environments, from a single management plane. It integrates with the Kubernetes Cluster application programming interface (API) to enable consistent, declarative provisioning of clusters and their underlying infrastructure across any provider.

While optimized for Mirantis’s open-source k0s lightweight Kubernetes distribution, k0smotron can be deployed on any Cloud-Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)-certified Kubernetes platform.

Miska Kaipiainen, Mirantis’ VP of engineering, strategy and open-source software said, “K0smotron makes it easier for operators to deploy and manage Kubernetes clusters, regardless of infrastructure. This represents a level of Kubernetes management for large-scale deployments that delivers an unparalleled combination of flexibility and control for users.”
Unlike other Kubernetes cluster managers, which require complex automation that’s difficult to maintain, k0smotron enables rapid, large-scale provisioning of Kubernetes clusters. This is similar to how the major cloud providers deploy their managed Kubernetes services, but additionally provides the flexibility needed to be deployed on any compute infrastructure.

With its standardized configurations, k0smotron streamlines cluster management, enhances security and improves reliability while significantly reducing operational costs.