VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Documentation

What Is Tanzu Kubernetes Grid?

Tanzu Kubernetes Grid allows you to make Kubernetes available to developers as a utility, just like an electricity grid. Operators and developers can use this grid to create and manage clusters in the declarative manner that is familiar to Kubernetes users and keep them version-compatible with upstream Kubernetes.

Tanzu Kubernetes Grid deploys clusters using an opinionated configuration of Kubernetes open-source software that is supported by VMware, so that you do not have to build a Kubernetes environment by yourself. In addition to validated Kubernetes component binaries, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid provides packaged services such as networking, authentication, ingress control, and logging that a production Kubernetes environment requires. For more information about the capabilities of TKG, see About Tanzu Kubernetes Grid.

Important:

What is TKG 2?: Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2 refers to how the latest versions of the Tanzu CLI (shipped with TKG v1.6.x and v2.1) work with the Supervisor in vSphere 8 or with TKG 2.1 standalone management clusters, and the new capabilities of this client/server pair. Specifically, TKG 2 uses improved Cluster object definitions backed by a new ClusterClass object type defined in version v1.x (v1beta1) of the Cluster API open-source toolset for Kubernetes cluster management. These redesigned cluster objects are simpler, more modular, and more cross-compatible than the corresponding objects in previous versions of Cluster API used by TKG 1.x.

Find the Right TKG Docs for Your Deployment

Tanzu Kubernetes Grid uses a management cluster to create and manage workload clusters, and has different deployment options based on where that management cluster runs. The types of management cluster are:

Standalone management cluster, on vSphere 6.7, 7, and 8 environments without Supervisor, and in the cloud on AWS and Azure
Supervisor, on vSphere with Tanzu in vSphere 8, or Supervisor Cluster, on vSphere with Tanzu in vSphere 7

To find documentation for the different Tanzu Kubernetes Grid deployment options, consult the tables in the tabs below. Some publications apply only to Tanzu Kubernetes Grid with a standalone management cluster, some apply only to Tanzu Kubernetes Grid with Supervisor, and some apply to both. Each tab lists all of the applicable docs for each deployment option.

Docs for Standalone Management Cluster

TKG on private and public clouds

A standalone management cluster can deploy Kubernetes clusters in private and public cloud environments, including vSphere 6.7, vSphere 7, and vSphere 8 without Supervisor, and on Microsoft Azure and AWS.

A standalone management cluster is a special-purpose Kubernetes cluster that you deploy on an infrastructure and use to create workload clusters on that same infrastructure.

The documentation for Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.1 in the table below provides the latest information about how to install, configure, and use Tanzu Kubernetes Grid with standalone management clusters.

Publication	Contents
About Tanzu Kubernetes Grid	Learn about the capabilities of the latest version of Tanzu Kubernetes Grid A glossary of TKG terminology Information about the workload clusters that you can create and the different ways in which you can create them Descriptions of Tanzu Kubernetes releases and custom node images Explanations about how identity and access management works in TKG Descriptions of how you can extend the capabilities of your clusters by installing different packages on them Information about Security and Compliance
Deploying and Managing Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.1 Standalone Management Clusters	Install the Tanzu CLI and use it to deploy standalone management clusters on vSphere 6.7, 7, and 8 without Supervisor, or on AWS and Azure. Install the Tanzu CLI and Other Tools for Use with Standalone Management Clusters and how to set up your environment for deployment of management clusters to vSphere, AWS, and Azure, as well as how to deploy Tanzu Kubernetes Grid in environments that are not connected to the Internet Deploy management clusters to your chosen provider by using both the installer interface and from a configuration file Register your management cluster with Tanzu Mission Control, so that you can manage it and use it to deploy workload clusters directly in the Tanzu Mission Control interface Build your own custom machine images to run in cluster nodes Configure identity and access managementwith LDAP or OIDC, and set up networking, including how to install NSX Advanced Load Balancer Upgrade Tanzu Kubernetes Grid, access logs and troubleshoot your deployment
Creating and Managing TKG 2.1 Workload Clusters with the Tanzu CLI	Use the Tanzu CLI to provision TKG 2 workload clusters with Supervisor on vSphere 8 or with standalone TKG 2.1 management clusters Install the Tanzu CLI and Other Tools for Use with a vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor Create workload clusters on vSphere (including vSphere 8 with Supervisor), AWS, and Azure by using the Tanzu CLI Manage your clusters after deployment, including how to connect to, manage, scale, restart, and delete your clusters, as well as how to manage cluster secrets, configure machine health checks, and back up and restore clusters. Install and configure packages on clusters to add extra functionality to those clusters. The extra functionality that you can add to clusters includes: Certificate management Monitoring Ingress control DNS service discovery Support for multiple network interfaces, Harbor container registry
VMware Tanzu CLI Reference	Learn about the architecture, commands, and options of the Tanzu CLI
VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 1.6 Documentation	Use the Tanzu CLI to deploy TKG 1.x management clusters and workload clusters on vSphere, AWS, and Azure

For information about new features, compatibility, component versions, and resolved and known issues, see the VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid v2.1.0 - v2.1.1 Release Notes.

Docs for vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor

TKG embedded in the vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor

Running Tanzu Kubernetes Grid with a Supervisor lets you create and operate workload clusters natively in vSphere with Tanzu and leverage many vSphere features, including vCenter SSO, vSphere networking, vSphere storage, vSphere security, and the Content Library. You can connect to a Supervisor using the Kubernetes CLI, the Tanzu CLI, and other interfaces.

The VMware vSphere with Tanzu Documentation provides information about how install and configure a Kubernetes control plane on vSphere 8* clusters to turn them into Supervisors. The publications in the table below describe how you can use a Supervisor to create and use Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2 clusters.

Publication	Contents
About Tanzu Kubernetes Grid	Learn about the capabilities of the latest version of Tanzu Kubernetes Grid A glossary of TKG terminology Information about the workload clusters that you can create and the different ways in which you can create them Descriptions of Tanzu Kubernetes releases and custom node images Explanations about how identity and access management works in TKG Descriptions of how you can extend the capabilities of your clusters by installing different packages on them Information about Security and Compliance
Using Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2 with vSphere with Tanzu	Use Tanzu Kubernetes Grid with a Supervisor in vSphere with Tanzu on vSphere 8 Supervisor identity and access management for clusters Manage Tanzu Kubernetes releases Configure namespaces Provision, operate, and maintain clusters with `kubectl` and the vSphere plugin rather than with the Tanzu CLI Install packages and deploy workloads on clusters Use container registries Back up and restore workloads Deploy AI/ML workloads
Creating and Managing TKG 2.1 Workload Clusters with the Tanzu CLI	Use the Tanzu CLI to provision TKG 2 workload clusters with Supervisor on vSphere 8 or with standalone TKG 2.1 management clusters Install the Tanzu CLI and Other Tools for Use with a vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor Create workload clusters on vSphere (including vSphere 8 with Supervisor), AWS, and Azure by using the Tanzu CLI Manage your clusters after deployment, including how to connect to, manage, scale, restart, and delete your clusters, as well as how to manage cluster secrets, configure machine health checks, and back up and restore clusters. Install and configure packages on clusters to add extra functionality to those clusters. The extra functionality that you can add to clusters includes: Certificate management Monitoring Ingress control DNS service discovery Support for multiple network interfaces, Harbor container registry
VMware Tanzu CLI Reference	Learn about the architecture, commands, and options of the Tanzu CLI

* If you are using Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service in vSphere with Tanzu in vSphere 7, see vSphere with Tanzu Configuration and Management.

Reference Architectures

VMware provides reference architecture documents that describe validated deployment configurations for Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations. These reference architecture documents cover Tanzu Kubernetes Grid with both Supervisor and standalone management cluster configurations, both on vSphere and in the public cloud. Reference architectures for different TKG versions and deployment scenarios are available from the VMware Tanzu Reference Architecture Documentation home page.

Additional Information

Use the TKG Docs

The Tanzu Kubernetes Grid documentation in HTML reflects the latest update release of each Tanzu Kubernetes Grid version. For example, version 2.1 contains updates for all 2.1.x releases. All our documentation comes in PDF format, which you can access by selecting the Download PDF icon on any page in the HTML documentation.

Tanzu Kubernetes Grid operates the N-2 Lifecycle Policy, wherein the latest minor release and the two minor releases that immediately precede it are supported. PDF documentation for older releases of Tanzu Kubernetes Grid that are no longer supported is available for download in a ZIP archive format. The archive can be found under Previous Releases in the table of contents on the left of this page.

If you are logged in to docs.vmware.com with your VMware Customer Connect account, you can use MyLibrary to create custom documentation collections, that contain only the content that meets your specific information needs.

Other TKG Resources

To learn more about Tanzu Kubernetes Grid, visit the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Tech Zone and Tanzu Kubernetes Grid product page to find technical articles, whitepapers, solution briefs, FAQs, videos, customer testimonials, demos, and other resources.

Visit the VMware Tanzu Documentation page to learn more about the products in the VMware Tanzu Portfolio.

VMware also posts about Tanzu Kubernetes Grid news, product releases, and events on the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Blog.

TKG Integrated Edition

Another product in the Tanzu Portfolio, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Integrated Edition (TKGI) allows you to deploy and operate Kubernetes clusters from Tanzu Operations Manager. TKGI uses different APIs to Tanzu Kubernetes Grid and is not part of the TKG publications. For information, see the TKGI documentation.