MKE 4k Documentation
Concepts
Architecture

Architecture

Mirantis Kubernetes Engine (MKE) 4k is an enterprise-grade, production-ready Kubernetes platform that is designed to be secure, scalable, and reliable.

You can manage the entire MKE 4k cluster through the mke4.yaml configuration file. Refer to Configuration for details.

Components

The following components constitute an MKE 4k cluster:

  • k0s Kubernetes distribution
  • Container Network Interface (CNI)
  • MKE 4k Control Plane
    • mke-operator
    • kordent
  • System services
  • User services

k0s Kubernetes distribution

k0s is a lightweight and open-source Kubernetes distribution that acts as the foundational runtime for MKE 4k clusters. For more information, refer to the k0s documentation.

Container Network Interface (CNI)

MKE 4k supports Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins. Such components provide networking functionality within a cluster that is secure, scalable, and policy-driven.

MKE 4k installs with the Calico CNI by default. Other CNI options, though, such as Kube-router, are also available. Refer to Container Network Interface for the network configuration details.

MKE 4k Control Plane

The MKE 4k Control Plane, which comprises mke-operator and kordent, is used to orchestrate, manage, and maintain the lifecycle of the MKE 4k cluster and services.

  • mke-operator: A Kubernetes-native operator that automates installation, upgrades, system configuration, and user services.
  • k0rdent: An open-source component that performs lifecycle management for the services that mke-operator configures.

System services

A key benefit of MKE 4k is that it includes various services that are typically standard to a cluster, thus ensuring that they integrate well and are easy to use and configure. These services are Kubernetes workloads that run within the cluster, which you can manage using the MKE 4k control plane. They include authorization, ingress, monitoring, and backups, among others.

User Services

Typically, user services are user-defined applications that run within the MKE 4k cluster, which you manage using the MKE 4k control plane.

Architecture Diagram

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Configuration