What are good open-source alternatives to Calico with complete installation guides?
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MellowPine42
I'm trying to install Calico from scratch, but the official instructions seem incomplete and several recent installation examples no longer work because the manifests and setup process have changed. The operator-based deployment is now recommended, but I haven't been able to get it working either. I mainly need reliable network policy support, and built-in load balancing or direct server return through modern eBPF features would be a plus. What open-source CNI alternatives have clear, up-to-date installation documentation?
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Cilium is probably the first alternative to evaluate. It has strong network policy support, an eBPF-based dataplane, service load-balancing features, ClusterMesh, and an ingress controller. It can also provide L2 load-balancer IPs in some setups, which may let you avoid running a separate component such as MetalLB.
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Antrea is another option worth considering, especially if you want standard network policies and a different implementation from Calico or Cilium. Compare its feature matrix carefully, though, because capabilities such as BGP-based egress may vary between projects or require a paid edition. If you stay with Calico, the operator deployment is the current recommended path, even though the documentation and installation experience may still need improvement.
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Cilium has worked well for me after moving away from the Tigera operator. That said, its advanced networking features depend heavily on kernel support, and the documentation can still be frustrating. Check the exact requirements for L2 announcements, external traffic policy, and your desired load-balancing mode before committing; some combinations may still require MetalLB.
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MellowPine42: The operator deployment is what I tried first, but I couldn’t get it working successfully. I’m mainly looking for a practical alternative with dependable network policies and instructions that match the current release.