Karpenter IBM Cloud Provider¶

Automatic Node Provisioning for Kubernetes on IBM Cloud VPC

Overview¶

The Karpenter IBM Cloud Provider enables automatic node provisioning and scaling for Kubernetes clusters running on IBM Cloud VPC infrastructure. It implements the Karpenter provisioning APIs to provide just-in-time compute resources based on application demands.

Getting Started
Get up and running with Karpenter on IBM Cloud in minutes
VPC Integration
Deploy on self-managed Kubernetes clusters with full control
IKS Integration
Seamless integration with IBM Kubernetes Service
Configuration
Learn about bootstrap methods and configuration options
Nightly Builds
Access bleeding-edge features and development versions
Presentations
Conference talks and demos about the project

Key Features¶

Automatic Node Provisioning¶

Just-in-Time Compute: Provisions nodes automatically when pods are unschedulable
Intelligent Instance Selection: Chooses optimal instance types based on workload requirements
Multi-Zone Support: Distributes nodes across availability zones for high availability

Zero-Configuration Bootstrap¶

Automatic Cluster Discovery: Detects cluster configuration without manual setup
Dynamic Bootstrap Scripts: Generates appropriate initialization scripts
Multiple Bootstrap Modes: Supports VPC, IKS, and automatic mode selection

Cost Optimization¶

Node Consolidation: Automatically removes underutilized nodes
Right-Sizing: Selects appropriate instance types to minimize costs

Architecture¶

The Karpenter IBM Cloud Provider consists of several key components:

graph TB
    subgraph "Kubernetes Cluster"
        K[Karpenter Controller]
        NP[NodePool]
        NC[NodeClaim]
        INC[IBMNodeClass]
        P[Pending Pods]
    end

    subgraph "IBM Cloud"
        VPC[VPC Infrastructure]
        IKS[IKS Service]
        VSI[Virtual Server Instances]
    end

    P -->|Triggers| K
    K -->|Creates| NC
    K -->|Reads| NP
    K -->|Reads| INC
    NC -->|Provisions| VSI
    VSI -->|Joins| K
    INC -.->|Config| VPC
    INC -.->|Config| IKS

Deployment Options¶

VPC Self-Managed Clusters¶

Full control over Kubernetes configuration
Dynamic instance type selection
Custom bootstrap configurations
Ideal for specialized workloads

IBM Kubernetes Service (IKS)¶

Seamless integration with managed service
Worker pool expansion

Community¶

GitHub: Report issues and contribute
Slack: Join #karpenter-ibm on CNCF Slack

License¶

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.