VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid provides a consistent, upstream-compatible Kubernetes substrate that is ready for end-user workloads and ecosystem integrations. Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) is central to many of the offerings in the VMware Tanzu portfolio, and provides the Kubernetes runtime for VMware Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations.

Tanzu Kubernetes Grid architecture

For information about what Tanzu Kubernetes Grid is and its capabilities, see About Tanzu Kubernetes Grid.

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.

Select the tabs below to access the documentation that is relevant for each type of management cluster.

Standalone Management Cluster Docs

TKG Logo

A standalone management cluster can deploy Kubernetes clusters in private and public cloud environments, including vSphere 6.7, vSphere 7, and vSphere 8 when using the Supervisor is not an option Supervisor, and in the cloud 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 2.3 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

Deploying and Managing Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.3 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.

Creating and Managing TKG 2.3 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 2.3 management clusters
VMware Tanzu CLI Documentation Learn about the architecture, commands, and options of the Tanzu CLI

For information about new features, compatibility, component versions, and resolved and known issues, see the VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid v2.3 Release Notes.

vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor Docs

vSphere with Tanzu logo

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 embedded vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor is the recommended option for most use-cases on vSphere.

The full 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 individual publications listed in the table below describe how you can use a Supervisor to create and use Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters.

The version of TKG that is embedded in the Supervisor in the latest release of vSphere with Tanzu is TKG v2.2.

Publication

Contents

About Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Learn about the capabilities of the latest version of Tanzu Kubernetes Grid
Using Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.2 with vSphere with Tanzu Use Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.2 embedded in 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 2.2 Workload Clusters with the Tanzu CLI Use the Tanzu CLI to provision TKG 2.2 workload clusters with Supervisor on vSphere 8
VMware Tanzu CLI Documentation 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.

TKG Docs Versions, Formats, and Support

TKG Docs Versions
The Tanzu Kubernetes Grid documentation in HTML reflects the latest minor release of each Tanzu Kubernetes Grid version. For example, version 2.3 contains updates for all 2.3.x patch releases.
TKG Docs Formats

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.

In addition to HTML, all our documentation also comes in PDF format, which you can access by selecting the Download PDF icon on any HTML page in a publication.

TKG Docs Support
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, with a minimum support duration of 12 months. PDF documentation for older releases of Tanzu Kubernetes Grid that are no longer supported is available for download in a ZIP archive format. For information about the dates on which support ends for given TKG versions, see the VMware Product Lifecycle Matrix.

TKG, Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations, and Reference Architectures

TKG is part of the VMware Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations (TKO) solution, which provides a set of products and services that allow cloud infrastructure administrators and operators to create, manage, and monitor Kubernetes environments.

VMware provides a TKO Getting Started guide as well as reference architecture documents that describe validated deployment configurations for Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations. The reference architecture documents cover Tanzu Kubernetes Grid with both Supervisor and standalone management cluster configurations, both on vSphere and in the public cloud. The table below lists the most recent versions of the reference architecture docs. Docs for different TKG versions and other deployment scenarios are available from the VMware Tanzu Reference Architecture Documentation home page.

VMware Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations Getting Started VMware Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations Reference Architecture 2.3 VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.3 Air-Gapped Reference Design and Deployment
Describes what TKO is and how TKG fits in with the the other products in the TKO solution. Outlines the general steps involved in setting up your TKO environment. Describes how to deploy Tanzu Kubernetes Grid and other components in validated configurations on different platforms, both on premises and in the cloud Describes how to create management and workload clusters in a specific and validated configuration in air-gapped environments, for both vSphere and AWS deployments

TKG Compliance and Hardening

TKG releases are continuously validated against the Defense the Information Systems Agency Security Technical Implementation Guides (DISA STIG), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) framework, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines. The most recent information about STIG and NSA/CISA compliance for TKG is applicable to TKG v2.1. For more information, see Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.1 Compliance and Hardening.

Additional Information

In addition to this documentation, VMware provides other resources to help you to learn more about Tanzu Kubernetes Grid.

TKG Tech Zone
Visit the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Tech Zone to find TKG technical articles, videos, demos, and other resources.
TKG Product Information
Find TKG whitepapers, solution briefs, FAQs, videos, customer testimonials, and other resources on the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid product page.
TKG Blog
VMware posts about Tanzu Kubernetes Grid news, product releases, and events on the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Blog.
Other Tanzu Documentation
Visit the VMware Tanzu Documentation and VMware Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations home pages to learn more about the other products and solutions in the VMware Tanzu Portfolio.
Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 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 and Tanzu Application Service. TKGI uses different APIs to Tanzu Kubernetes Grid and is not part of the TKG publications. For information, see the TKGI documentation.