Kubeshark

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Score7.4

Rank#2 of 29

From$30/mo

Free planYes

Runs onAPI, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web, Windows

Summary

Kubeshark is a Kubernetes network observability tool that indexes cluster-wide traffic at the kernel level using eBPF and makes it queryable with Kubernetes, API, and network context. It can decrypt TLS and service-mesh mTLS traffic without keys, certificates, sidecars, or application changes. Users can capture retrospective traffic snapshots, filter them by time, nodes, workloads, and IPs, then export them as PCAP files. Its KFL query language combines Kubernetes identity, API context, and network attributes. Kubeshark also provides an identity-aware service map and performance indicators for pods, services, nodes, and namespaces. It supports more than 23 protocols, including HTTP, Kafka, Redis, PostgreSQL, gRPC, and DNS. Cluster data can be exposed through MCP to AI assistants such as Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot. Deployment uses Helm in Kubernetes; self-hosted air-gapped operation is listed for Enterprise. The free Community plan supports up to 3 nodes or 60 pods and requires internet connectivity. Paid plans start at $30/mo.

Who it is for

Kubeshark is aimed at SREs and network engineers investigating Kubernetes traffic, incidents, or network reliability. Its MCP integration may also suit teams using compatible AI assistants.

What is good

Indexes cluster traffic with eBPF.
Decrypts TLS and service-mesh mTLS without keys or sidecars.
Traffic snapshots can be filtered and exported as PCAP.
Supports more than 23 protocols.
Free Community plan includes unlimited API call capacity.

What to know first

Community plan is limited to 3 nodes or 60 pods.
Community plan requires internet connectivity.
Pro has limited API call capacity.
Air-gapped operation is listed for Enterprise.

Verdict

Kubeshark provides cluster-wide traffic inspection, filtering, and snapshots for Kubernetes environments. The Community plan has a defined cluster-size limit and requires connectivity, while air-gapped use is reserved for Enterprise.

Kubeshark plans and pricing

All plans

Community Free Up to 3 nodes or 60 pods · Requires internet connectivity · Unlimited API call capacity · Community support kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026

Pro $30/mo per month; starting at Unlimited nodes and pods · Limited API call capacity · Requires internet connectivity · Community support kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026

Micro $30/mo per month 6 nodes / 120 pods · Unlimited capacity · Unlimited API calls · Unlimited clusters · For dev/test clusters kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026

Dynamic $190/mo per month Unlimited nodes and pods · Limited capacity · Unlimited clusters · 100K daily API calls · $50 per extra 100K calls kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026

Small $360/mo per month 20 nodes / 400 pods · Unlimited capacity · Unlimited API calls · Unlimited clusters · For small production clusters kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026

Enterprise Not published per pod / month Unlimited cluster size · Unlimited consumption · Air-gapped clusters · Unlimited API call capacity · Dedicated support kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026

Compared on eBPF observability tools

Free plan: Yeskubeshark.com
Paid from: $30/mokubeshark.com
Deployment model: self-hostedkubeshark.com
Kubernetes support: Yeskubeshark.com
Network visibility: Yeskubeshark.com
Supported operating systems: Linux, macOS, Windowskubeshark.com

Facts

network observability: Kubeshark indexes cluster-wide Kubernetes network traffic at the kernel level using eBPF and makes it queryable with Kubernetes, API, and network semantics.docs.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
AI integration: Kubeshark exposes cluster-wide network data through MCP for AI assistants including Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and other MCP-compatible clients.docs.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
TLS decryption: Kubeshark decrypts TLS and service-mesh mTLS traffic with eBPF without keys, certificates, sidecars, or application changes.docs.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
PCAP snapshots: Kubeshark captures retrospective cluster-wide traffic snapshots that can be filtered by time, nodes, workloads, and IPs and exported as PCAP files.docs.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
protocols: Kubeshark supports more than 23 protocols, including HTTP, HTTP/2, WebSocket, GraphQL, Kafka, AMQP, Redis, MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, gRPC, DNS, ICMP, TCP, UDP, SCTP, LDAP, RADIUS, DIAMETER, and TLS.docs.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
query language: Kubeshark provides KFL, a query language combining Kubernetes identity, API context, and network attributes for traffic filtering.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
service map: Kubeshark provides an identity-aware service map and performance KPIs for pods, services, nodes, and namespaces.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
security features: Kubeshark's documented security capabilities include sensitive-data redaction, authorization rules, encrypted browser communication, ingress TLS, and SAML authentication for self-hosted deployments.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
compliance: Kubeshark's About page displays a SOC 2 compliance confirmation.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
deployment: Kubeshark can be deployed with Helm in Kubernetes and supports self-hosted air-gapped operation on the Enterprise tier.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
cloud storage: Kubeshark supports storing traffic snapshots in Amazon S3, Azure Blob, and Google Cloud Storage for long-term retention and cross-cluster sharing.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
support: Kubeshark usually provides support through a dedicated Slack channel, while Enterprise includes dedicated Slack support, on-demand Zoom calls, and premium onboarding.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026
target users: Kubeshark positions itself for SREs, network engineers, AI assistants, and agents to accelerate root-cause analysis, incident response, and network reliability.kubeshark.com · 1 Oct 2026