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Networking is a foundational aspect of Kubernetes, enabling seamless communication between pods, services, and nodes—both inside and outside a cluster. Mastering Kubernetes networking ensures your containerized applications run efficiently, scale effectively, and remain manageable.

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Kubernetes Networking Model

Kubernetes adopts a flat, unified network approach based on these core principles:
  • Every pod gets a unique, cluster-wide IP address (the IP-per-pod model).
  • Pods can communicate with any other pod on any node without Network Address Translation (NAT).
  • Agents (like the kubelet) on each node can reach all pods on that node.
The image illustrates the Kubernetes Networking Model, showing a cluster with nodes containing pods, and the communication between them.
Think of each pod as a micro-VM: it receives its own IP address, allowing direct pod-to-pod connectivity across the cluster—just like virtual machines in a traditional network.
The image illustrates the "IP-per-pod" concept in a Kubernetes cluster, showing each pod with its own IP address and a network of servers, each also with an IP address.

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Network Namespace in Pods

All containers in a pod share the same network namespace, meaning:
  • One IP and one MAC address per pod.
  • Shared interfaces, routing tables, firewall rules, and sockets.
  • Intra-pod communication over localhost.
The image illustrates a pod containing two containers, labeled "Container 1" and "Container 2," with a node labeled "Eth0 [IP Address]" below them.
The image illustrates the concept of network namespaces, showing a container within a pod, connected via a virtual Ethernet (veth) to the root network namespace on a node.

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Four Core Networking Challenges

Kubernetes addresses these four networking scenarios:
Communication TypeDescription
Container-to-ContainerWithin the same pod via shared localhost.
Pod-to-PodAcross nodes using pod IPs—no NAT required.
Pod-to-ServicePods reach a stable Virtual IP (ClusterIP) for services.
External-to-ServiceExternal clients access NodePort or LoadBalancer.
Each resource type uses distinct IP ranges to avoid conflicts:
Resource TypeIP Assignment Source
PodCNI plugin–allocated from predefined pod CIDR pools
Servicekube-apiserver assigns cluster IPs from service CIDR
NodeProvided by infrastructure (DHCP, static, cloud APIs)
The image illustrates the IP address ranges within a Kubernetes cluster, showing the relationship between services, pods, and nodes.
Ensure your pod CIDR and service CIDR do not overlap with each other or your physical network to prevent routing issues.

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Implementing the Networking Model with CNI

Kubernetes relies on the Container Network Interface (CNI) to provision and configure pod networking. The kubelet invokes a CNI plugin to:
  • Create and manage virtual network interfaces (veth, macvlan, etc.)
  • Allocate and assign pod IP addresses
  • Program routes and firewall (iptables) rules
  • Tear down networks when pods terminate
The image illustrates the concept of Container Network Interface (CNI) with a logo and a diagram showing connections to virtual networks labeled with "IP."
PluginUse CaseKey Features
CalicoEnterprise network policy & securityBGP routing, NetworkPolicy, IP-in-IP overlay
FlannelSimple pod overlay networkingVXLAN, host-gateway modes
WeaveEasy mesh networkingAutomatic mesh, encryption, DNS service discovery
CiliumHigh-performance, eBPF-basedeBPF datapath, Kubernetes NetworkPolicy, Load Balancing
The image shows logos of different Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins: Calico, Flannel, Weave, and Cilium.

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Next Steps

With the networking fundamentals in place, you’re ready to delve into advanced topics like network policies, ingress controllers, and service meshes. These components build on Kubernetes’ core networking model to provide security, observability, and traffic management.

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