Liqo
Liqo connects Kubernetes clusters so they can share namespaces, resources, and workloads across a multi-cluster topology.
What Liqo is
Liqo connects Kubernetes clusters so they can share namespaces, resources, and workloads across a multi-cluster topology. It can extend consumer namespaces and replicate configurations, secrets, services, and other resources. A remote cluster appears as a virtual node, allowing the consumer cluster to schedule workloads there. Liqo’s network fabric connects pods across peered clusters, using WireGuard VPN tunnels by default; it also describes cross-cluster storage for stateful workloads. Peering can be declared with Kubernetes resources and managed using GitOps tools such as ArgoCD. The liqoctl command-line tool installs and uninstalls Liqo, manages peering and namespace-level offloading, and reports status. The project is open source under Apache-2.0 and free. It is designed for on-premises, public cloud, edge, and multi-cloud environments, with support for platforms including Kubernetes, K3s, AKS, EKS, GKE, and OpenShift. Liqo requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later and suggests a cluster with at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM. Official compatibility covers the latest three Kubernetes major releases; older versions may work but are not officially supported.
Good
- Extends namespaces and replicates cluster resources.
- Remote clusters can receive scheduled workloads.
- Uses WireGuard VPN tunnels by default.
- Peering can be managed with GitOps tools.
- Free and licensed under Apache-2.0.
Watch out
- Requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later.
- Official compatibility covers only the latest three Kubernetes major releases.
- Documentation suggests at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB RAM.
Who it suits
Liqo may suit teams managing Kubernetes workloads across on-premises, cloud, edge, or multi-cloud environments. It requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later and a supported Kubernetes release for officially guaranteed compatibility.
Verdict
Liqo is a free option for connecting Kubernetes clusters and offloading workloads, with support for declarative peering and cross-cluster networking. Check its kernel and Kubernetes compatibility requirements before adopting it.
The facts
Each one read from Liqo's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- CLI platforms
- The liqoctl CLI provides downloads for Linux, macOS, and Windows.checked 4 Oct 2026
What it does
- Compatibility limit
- Liqo guarantees compatibility with the latest three Kubernetes major releases; older releases may work but are not officially supported.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The installation guide describes using Helm 3 to install Liqo, and the CLI supports kubectl-style Kubernetes API access.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Kubernetes support
- Liqo is guaranteed compatible with the latest three Kubernetes major releases; older releases may work but are not officially supported.checked 9 Oct 2026
- License
- The official site says Liqo is licensed under Apache-2.0.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Management tool
- The liqoctl CLI installs and uninstalls Liqo, manages peering, configures namespace-level offloading, and reports status.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Namespace extension
- Liqo can extend consumer namespaces across clusters and replicate configurations, secrets, services, and other resources.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Networking
- Liqo provides cross-cluster pod-to-pod and pod-to-service connectivity across different CNI configurations, using secured network tunnels for cross-cluster traffic.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Peering
- Liqo automatically establishes peer-to-peer resource and service relationships between independent clusters.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Liqo is an open-source project for creating dynamic Kubernetes multi-cluster topologies across on-premise, cloud, and edge infrastructures.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- Liqo requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later and recommends at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM for the cluster.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- The requirements page says the network gateway uses WireGuard over UDP and the Kubernetes API server uses HTTPS over TCP.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security configuration
- Liqo can propagate ServiceAccount tokens to remote clusters, and the documentation describes disabling API-server support if this is a security concern.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Storage
- Liqo’s storage fabric supports remote execution of stateful workloads using a data-gravity approach.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The official site links to Liqo’s documentation, quick-start guide, and community Slack.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Supported environments
- The official site says Liqo supports on-premise, public cloud, edge, and multi-cloud environments, including managed or self-hosted Kubernetes distributions.checked 9 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- Liqo requires Linux kernel 5.10 or later and the documentation suggests a cluster with at least 2 CPUs and 2 GB of RAM.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Workload offloading
- Liqo can offload workloads to remote clusters without requiring changes to Kubernetes or the applications.checked 9 Oct 2026
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