GigaOm Radar for Container Networkingv2.0

1. Executive Summary

Container networking solutions provide Layer 3 and 4 networking capabilities that enable communication within and between pods and clusters in distributed applications, such as container- or Kubernetes-based systems. Enterprise-grade solutions in this category allow organizations to define network policies, routing, network security, observability, and analytics in complex applications, meeting the dynamic needs of containerized environments.

In distributed environments, the network is part of the application and directly impacts service performance. While Kubernetes and open-source plugins provide native networking constructs that make it easy to kickstart containerization with minimal cost, many organizations overlook the enhanced capabilities of enterprise-grade container networking solutions, relying solely on open-source options.

Without scalable enterprise-grade mechanisms, the network will eventually become a bottleneck that hinders performance as demand grows. The good news is that developers and network engineers are not locked into using Kubernetes-native networking constructs and open-source plugins.

Note: We are defining the key features in the Container Networking Radar report to be agnostic with respect to container runtimes and orchestration technologies. However, we will be using Docker and Kubernetes terminology to illustrate the concepts.

Managing networking at the container level gives organizations low-level control over security, performance, and observability. These solutions form a foundation for container security by handling segmentation, filtering, access controls, intrusion detection, and more. For distributed applications, container networking solutions support application performance by offering load balancing, observability, diagnostics, and troubleshooting. These solutions also facilitate application development by enabling multicluster, multicloud, and edge connectivity.

This is our second year evaluating the container networking space. Last year, it was as a GigaOm Sonar report (GigaOm Sonar for Container Networking) giving a snapshot of an emerging technology. This year, it’s as a more in-depth Radar report. This report builds on the previous analysis and considers how the market has evolved over the last year.

This GigaOm Radar report examines nine of the top container networking solutions and compares offerings against the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and nonfunctional requirements (business criteria) outlined in the companion Key Criteria report. Together, these reports provide an overview of the market, identify leading container networking offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.