A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is a full distribution of the open-source Kubernetes container orchestration platform that is built, signed, and supported by VMware. You can provision and operate Tanzu Kubernetes clusters on the Supervisor Cluster by using the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service. A Supervisor Cluster is a vSphere cluster that is enabled with vSphere with Tanzu.

Key Characteristics of Tanzu Kubernetes Clusters Created by the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service

A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster that is provisioned by the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service has the following characteristics:
TKG cluster characteristics, from left to right - opinionated, well-integrated, production-ready, fully-supported, managed by Kubernetes.
Note: VMware markets a suite of Kubernetes-focused products under the Tanzu brand. The Tanzu Kubernetes clusters that you create by using the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service are components of the Tanzu edition license. For more information about the other Kubernetes-focused products that VMware markets under Tanzu, see the VMware Tanzu documentation. For information about licensing in vSphere with Tanzu, see Licensing for vSphere with Tanzu.

Opinionated Installation of Kubernetes

A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is an opinionated installation of Kubernetes.

The Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service provides well-thought-out defaults that are optimized for vSphere to provision Tanzu Kubernetes clusters. By using the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service, you can reduce the amount of time and effort that you typically spend for deploying and running an enterprise-grade Kubernetes cluster.

For more information, see Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service Architecture.

Integrated with the vSphere Infrastructure

A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is integrated with the underlying vSphere infrastructure, which is optimized for running Kubernetes.

A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is integrated with the vSphere SDDC stack, including storage, networking, and authentication. In addition, a Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is built on a Supervisor Cluster that maps to a vCenter Server cluster. Because of the tight integration, running a Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is a unified product experience.

For more information, see vSphere with Kubernetes Architecture.

Production Ready

A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is tuned for running production workloads.

The Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service provisions production-ready Tanzu Kubernetes clusters. You can run production workloads without the need to perform any additional configuration. In addition, you can ensure availability and allow for rolling Kubernetes software upgrades and run different versions of Kubernetes in separate clusters.

For more information, see Provisioning and Operating TKGS Clusters.

Fully Supported by VMware

A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is supported by VMware.

Tanzu Kubernetes clusters use the open source, Linux-based Photon OS from VMware, are deployed on vSphere infrastructure, and run on ESXi hosts. If you experience problems with any layer of the stack, from the hypervisor to the Kubernetes cluster, VMware is the only vendor you need to contact.

For more information, contact VMware Support.

Managed by Kubernetes

A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is managed by Kubernetes.

Tanzu Kubernetes clusters are built on top of the Supervisor Cluster, which is itself a Kubernetes cluster. A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is defined in the vSphere Namespace using a custom resource. You provision Tanzu Kubernetes clusters in a self-service way using familiar kubectl commands. There is consistency across the toolchain, whether you are provisioning a cluster or deploying workloads, you use the same commands, familiar YAML, and common workflows.

For more information, see Tanzu Kubernetes Cluster Tenancy Model.