Kyverno
7.7#1 in cloud governance softwareFree planFree planWebAPILinuxmacOS
VisitKyverno vs Open Policy Agent
Open Policy Agent
6.8#8 in infrastructure policy as code toolsFree planFree planWebAPILinuxmacOS
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | Kyverno | Open Policy Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Kyverno is installed in a Kubernetes cluster, with Helm recommended for production deployments and YAML manifests also available. | The documentation describes installing OPA on macOS, Linux/Unix, and Windows, and running it with Docker. |
| Integrations | CNCF lists common integrations with Argo CD, Backstage, Flux and Kubernetes for GitOps and platform governance. | The project lists integrations for Kubernetes, Terraform, Envoy, and code editors. |
| Policy language | Kyverno supports CEL-based policy types and describes applying Kubernetes-style policies outside Kubernetes as part of its mission. | OPA policies are written in Rego, a declarative language designed for expressing rules over complex hierarchical data. |
| Project status | The CNCF lists Kyverno as a Graduated project, with graduation recorded in March 2026. | OPA is a graduated Cloud Native Computing Foundation project. |
| Purpose | Kyverno is a Kubernetes-native policy engine for defining and enforcing policy as code. | OPA is an open-source, general-purpose policy engine that unifies policy enforcement across software systems. |
Kyverno plans
- KyvernoFree
- Open-source coreFree
Open Policy Agent plans
- Open Policy AgentFree
Pick Kyverno if…
Kyverno is intended for platform engineering teams managing security, compliance, automation, and governance through policy as code. It suits teams working with Kubernetes clusters and policy checks in CI pipelines.
Pick Open Policy Agent if…
OPA suits teams that need policy decisions across services, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines or API gateways, and can work with Rego and its evaluation interfaces. Those exposing its API should account for the fact that authentication and authorization are off by default.