nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate

Declarative node network configuration driven through Kubernetes API.

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291

999 commits

updated Oct 13, 2026

See the code

README

kubernetes-nmstate

FOSSA Status

project logo

[keɪ ɛn ɛm steɪt] Declarative node network configuration driven through Kubernetes API.

How it works

We use nmstate to perform state driven network configuration on cluster nodes and to report back their current state. Both the configuration and reporting is controlled via Kubernetes objects.

apiVersion: nmstate.io/v1
kind: NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy
metadata:
  name: br1-eth0
spec:
  desiredState:
    interfaces:
    - name: br1
      type: linux-bridge
      state: up
      ipv4:
        dhcp: true
        enabled: true
      bridge:
        port:
        - name: eth0

The only external dependency is NetworkManager running on nodes. See more details in Compatibility documentation.

Deployment and Usage

You can choose to deploy this operator on a local virtualized cluster or on your arbitrary cluster.

You can also install kubernetes-nmstate using the Helm chart:

helm install nmstate oci://quay.io/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate --version <version> --namespace nmstate --create-namespace

The following comprehensive 101 series is the best place to start learning about all the features:

  1. Reporting - observe the current state of network on cluster nodes.
  2. Configuring - configure networks and observe the progress.
  3. Troubleshooting - see what's wrong if a configuration fails.

These example manifests should serve as reference on how to configure various configuration options:

The "Why"

With hybrid clouds, node-networking setup is becoming even more challenging. Different payloads have different networking requirements, and not everything can be satisfied as overlays on top of the main interface of the node (e.g. SR-IOV, L2, other L2). The Container Network Interface (CNI) standard enables different solutions for connecting networks on the node with pods. Some of them are part of the standard, and there are others that extend support for Open vSwitch bridges, SR-IOV, and more...

However, in all of these cases, the node must have the networks setup before the pod is scheduled. Setting up the networks in a dynamic and heterogeneous cluster, with dynamic networking requirements, is a challenge by itself - and this is what this project is addressing.

Development and Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Find details about the project's design and development workflow in the developer guide.

License

FOSSA Status

kubernetes
linux
networking

nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate

Declarative node network configuration driven through Kubernetes API.

Go

291

999 commits

updated Oct 13, 2026

See the code

README

kubernetes-nmstate

FOSSA Status

project logo

[keɪ ɛn ɛm steɪt] Declarative node network configuration driven through Kubernetes API.

How it works

We use nmstate to perform state driven network configuration on cluster nodes and to report back their current state. Both the configuration and reporting is controlled via Kubernetes objects.

apiVersion: nmstate.io/v1
kind: NodeNetworkConfigurationPolicy
metadata:
  name: br1-eth0
spec:
  desiredState:
    interfaces:
    - name: br1
      type: linux-bridge
      state: up
      ipv4:
        dhcp: true
        enabled: true
      bridge:
        port:
        - name: eth0

The only external dependency is NetworkManager running on nodes. See more details in Compatibility documentation.

Deployment and Usage

You can choose to deploy this operator on a local virtualized cluster or on your arbitrary cluster.

You can also install kubernetes-nmstate using the Helm chart:

helm install nmstate oci://quay.io/nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate --version <version> --namespace nmstate --create-namespace

The following comprehensive 101 series is the best place to start learning about all the features:

  1. Reporting - observe the current state of network on cluster nodes.
  2. Configuring - configure networks and observe the progress.
  3. Troubleshooting - see what's wrong if a configuration fails.

These example manifests should serve as reference on how to configure various configuration options:

The "Why"

With hybrid clouds, node-networking setup is becoming even more challenging. Different payloads have different networking requirements, and not everything can be satisfied as overlays on top of the main interface of the node (e.g. SR-IOV, L2, other L2). The Container Network Interface (CNI) standard enables different solutions for connecting networks on the node with pods. Some of them are part of the standard, and there are others that extend support for Open vSwitch bridges, SR-IOV, and more...

However, in all of these cases, the node must have the networks setup before the pod is scheduled. Setting up the networks in a dynamic and heterogeneous cluster, with dynamic networking requirements, is a challenge by itself - and this is what this project is addressing.

Development and Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Find details about the project's design and development workflow in the developer guide.

License

FOSSA Status

kubernetes
linux
networking

Project health

Overall

5.6/10

Maintained

10/10

Code review

9/10
OpenSSF Scorecard

Latest release

v0.87.0 · Jul 28, 2026

Releases this year

4

Significant stargazers

Ihar Hrachyshka

97 followers · starred Feb 2019

Bryant Biggs

654 followers · starred Jun 2024

Pat Riehecky

32 followers · starred Feb 2024

Shane Utt

247 followers · starred Aug 2024