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Understanding Kubernetes: Part 21 -CNI
If you’ve been following our Kubernetes series 2025, welcome back! For new readers, check out Part 20: Understanding Kubernetes: Network Policy
📖 Not a Medium member? No worries! Here’s the free link: Part 21 — CNI
Container Network Interface (CNI) in Kubernetes
A Container Network Interface (CNI) is a standard used in Kubernetes to configure networking for containers. It provides a pluggable architecture that allows different networking solutions to be integrated seamlessly with Kubernetes. CNI is responsible for assigning IP addresses to Pods, establishing routes, and enforcing network policies across the cluster.
Kubernetes itself does not include a default networking solution; instead, it relies on CNI plugins such as Calico, Flannel, Weave, and Cilium to implement networking functionalities.
Example Use Case:
Suppose you have a Kubernetes cluster that requires advanced network policies, IP address management, and high-performance data path routing. By deploying a CNI solution like Calico, you can achieve efficient network segmentation, security enforcement, and observability within the cluster.
Capabilities of CNI:
- Pod Networking:
