Cilium
- Android app
- Not listed
- Free plan
- Yes
- Runs on
- Linux, self-hosted
Summary
Cilium is open-source software for providing, securing, and observing network connectivity between workloads, using eBPF. Its networking capabilities include CNI, Layer 4 load balancing, service mesh, ingress, IPv6, and kube-proxy replacement. It also supports identity-aware network policies across L3–L7, including DNS- and HTTP-aware filtering, as well as runtime security and transparent encryption. Hubble adds visibility into service communication and behavior, while listed observability features include service maps, metrics and tracing export, and network flow logs. Cilium integrates with Prometheus and Grafana and documents Kubernetes support for services including GKE, AKS, EKS, OpenShift, RKE, k3s, and Alibaba ACK. It is free and self-hosted for Linux on AMD64 or AArch64, requiring kernel 5.10 or later, or an equivalent kernel such as 4.18 on RHEL 8.10. For environments above 500 nodes, the quick installation guide points to guidance for large environments or specific datapath modes.
Who it is for
Cilium suits teams managing workload networking on Linux and Kubernetes who need network policy, security controls, and service-communication visibility.
What is good
- Open source and free
- Supports identity-aware L3–L7 policies
- Hubble provides service visibility
- Integrates with Prometheus and Grafana
- Supports multiple Kubernetes services
What to know first
- Requires Linux kernel 5.10 or equivalent
- Large environments need separate installation guidance
- ztunnel encryption support is beta
Verdict
Cilium brings workload networking, policy enforcement, and observability into one Linux-based platform. Check the kernel and architecture requirements, and consult the large-environment guidance above 500 nodes.
Cilium plans and pricing
All plansCompared on microsegmentation software
- Deployment model
- hybridcilium.io
Facts
- Purpose
- Cilium is an open source, cloud native solution for providing, securing, and observing network connectivity between workloads, powered by eBPF.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Networking
- Its listed networking use cases include CNI, Layer 4 load balancing, Cluster Mesh, kube-proxy replacement, BGP, service mesh, Gateway API, IPv6, host firewall, and ingress.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Observability
- Cilium lists service maps, metrics and tracing export, identity-aware L3/L4/DNS network flow logs, and advanced network protocol visibility.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Security features
- Listed security capabilities include transparent encryption, network policy, and runtime security.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Hubble
- Hubble is a distributed networking and security observability platform built on Cilium and eBPF that provides visibility into service communication and behavior.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Policy
- Cilium network policies can enforce identity-aware rules at L3–L7, including DNS- and HTTP-aware filtering.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- Cilium supports transparent encryption of managed host and endpoint traffic using IPsec, WireGuard, or ztunnel; ztunnel support is marked beta.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Cilium documentation describes integrations with Prometheus and Grafana for metrics and dashboards.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Kubernetes support
- The quick installation guide lists Kubernetes distributions and services including GKE, AKS, EKS, OpenShift, RKE, k3s, and Alibaba ACK.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The container image requires AMD64 or AArch64 hosts running Linux kernel 5.10 or later, or an equivalent kernel such as 4.18 on RHEL 8.10.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Scale limitation
- The quick installation guide says environments larger than 500 nodes should refer to the Getting Started guide for large environments or specific datapath modes.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Security review
- Cilium documentation links to 2022 security and fuzzing audits; the security audit summary reports no critical or high severity vulnerabilities found in that audit.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Community support
- Cilium documentation directs users to its FAQ, Slack channels, and GitHub issue tracker for help and bug reports.docs.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
- Project status
- Cilium identifies itself as a CNCF graduated project.cilium.io · 3 Oct 2026
Best Cilium alternatives
See all 12
Where it ranks on Everything Xiaomi
Is Cilium yours?
Claim it for free: prove the domain, then correct facts, plans and screenshots. An editor reviews every change.
Sources
- cilium.io· checked 3 Oct 2026
- docs.cilium.io/en/stable/overview/intro/· checked 3 Oct 2026
- docs.cilium.io/en/latest/security/network/encryption/· checked 3 Oct 2026
- docs.cilium.io/en/stable/observability/grafana/· checked 3 Oct 2026
- docs.cilium.io/en/stable/gettingstarted/k8s-install-de· checked 3 Oct 2026
- docs.cilium.io/en/stable/operations/system_requirement· checked 3 Oct 2026
- docs.cilium.io/en/stable/security/· checked 3 Oct 2026
- docs.cilium.io/en/latest/gettingstarted/gettinghelp/· checked 3 Oct 2026