# edgelesssys/constellation

Constellation is a Kubernetes distribution for confidential computing, securing entire clusters on untrusted infrastructure.  Constellation is in maintenance mode. New development continues in Contrast, which provides workload-level confidential computing using Confidential Containers.  👉 https://github.com/edgelesssys/contrast

Repository: https://github.com/edgelesssys/constellation
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/constellation
Language: Go
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: cloud-security, confidential-computing, data-encryption, kubernetes, kubernetes-security
Archived: true
Last push: 2026-01-22T14:31:02+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 63, release rhythm 45, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1466, "days_push": 223, "days_rel": 364, "gap_med": 18.5, "n_releases_24m": 13}
- flags: archived, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1096, forks 62 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:34.362351+00:00)

## What it is
Constellation is a Kubernetes distribution that runs entire clusters inside Confidential VMs (AMD SEV / Intel TDX), encrypting runtime memory, network traffic, and storage to shield workloads from untrusted cloud infrastructure. The project is now in maintenance mode; development continues in Edgeless Systems' Contrast.

## Use cases
- run a kubernetes cluster with always-encrypted memory on untrusted cloud infrastructure
- move sensitive workloads from on-prem to the cloud while keeping data confidential
- meet regulatory compliance requirements for encrypted kubernetes clusters
- increase trustworthiness of SaaS offerings with verifiable confidential computing
- encrypt pod-to-pod network traffic and persistent storage transparently
- remove cloud admins and co-tenants from the trusted computing base

## When to choose
- you need cluster-wide confidential computing with CVMs on AMD SEV or Intel TDX
- you want transparent encryption of kubernetes network, storage, and key management
- you need verifiable attestation of your kubernetes infrastructure

## When to avoid
- you need actively maintained software with ongoing updates and support
- you want workload-level confidential computing - use Contrast instead
- you don't have access to confidential computing hardware or cloud CVM offerings

## Facets
- artifact type: infra-config
- maturity: abandoned
- function: container-orchestration, security, cryptography, deployment, cloud
- domain: security, cloud-computing, privacy
- platform: cloud, go
- tags: confidential-computing, kubernetes-distribution, confidential-vms, amd-sev, intel-tdx, cluster-security, maintenance-mode, containers, devops, kubernetes, linux

## Member repositories
- edgelesssys/constellation (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:34.362351+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:47:10.448502+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/edgelesssys/constellation (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:34.362351+00:00, sha ec9f5fc2145f)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.