# cloudnativelabs/kube-router

Kube-router, a turnkey solution for Kubernetes networking.

Repository: https://github.com/cloudnativelabs/kube-router
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kube-router
Homepage: https://kube-router.io
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: kubernetes, kubernetes-networking, kubernetes-service, docker, ipvs, iptables, gobgp, bgp
Last push: 2026-08-25T16:41:14+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 98, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3425, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 16, "gap_med": 25.5, "n_releases_24m": 17}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2497, forks 496 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:56.736861+00:00)

## What it is
Kube-router is a turnkey Kubernetes networking solution that combines pod networking (CNI), an IPVS/LVS-based service proxy, NetworkPolicy enforcement, and BGP-based load balancer IP advertisement in a single DaemonSet/binary. It is built on the standard Linux networking stack with no overlays or SDN, aiming for operational simplicity and high performance.

## Use cases
- replace kube-proxy and CNI plugin with a single component in a Kubernetes cluster
- enforce Kubernetes NetworkPolicy with ipsets and iptables
- advertise Kubernetes service VIPs to BGP peers for on-prem load balancing
- set up direct-routing pod networking across cluster nodes with BGP
- run a lean high-performance Kubernetes network setup without overlay networks
- deploy IPv6 or dual-stack Kubernetes networking
- use DSR and IPVS scheduling algorithms for service load balancing

## When to choose
- you want an all-in-one Kubernetes networking alternative to kube-proxy plus a CNI plugin
- you run on-prem or bare-metal clusters and can use BGP for routing
- you value performance and a lean, standard Linux networking stack
- you need built-in NetworkPolicy enforcement and BGP service advertisement

## When to avoid
- you need a CNI with rich overlay or SDN features on clouds like Azure without extra tunnel configuration
- you rely on a managed Kubernetes provider's networking stack
- you need Windows nodes or non-Linux support
- you prefer widely adopted CNIs like Calico or Cilium with larger ecosystems

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: networking, routing, load-testing, security, monitoring
- domain: networking, cloud-computing, infrastructure-as-code, microservices
- platform: go, self-hosted
- tags: kubernetes, cni, kube-proxy, ipvs, bgp, network-policy, service-proxy, load-balancer, daemonset, gobgp, containers, linux, docker

## Member repositories
- cloudnativelabs/kube-router (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:56.736861+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 2026-08-30T02:27:08.010677+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/cloudnativelabs/kube-router (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:56.736861+00:00, sha a611e240e310)
  - homepage: https://kube-router.io (fetched 2026-08-29T10:09:22.934987+00:00, sha 1909050159ef)
  - site_page: https://www.kube-router.io/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T10:09:22.944280+00:00, sha 40c23dd23337)
  - site_page: https://www.kube-router.io/docs/user-guide (fetched 2026-08-29T10:09:22.946001+00:00, sha 100249067da7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.