vSphere Kubernetes Service

apiVersion: soultec.ch/v1kind: Solutionmetadata: name: vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vks locale: en labels: vendor: VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service capability/containers: 2.39 capability/virtualization: 1.37 vendor/vmware: 0.88 annotations: source: src/content/solutions/en/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vks.md route: /en/solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vks/ schema: /nerd/schema/solutions.json markdown: /en/solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vks.mdspec: title: vSphere Kubernetes Service tags: [containers, virtualization] vendors: [vmware] summary: >- Kubernetes inside the vSphere stack. If you can run vSphere, you can run a container platform on it. photoNeed: >- A vSphere or VCF console on a real screen at soulTec: a cluster view, a running task, an inventory tree, so the reader should recognise the UI stub: false draft: false kind: product formerly: vSphere with Tanzu acronym: VKS editions: [vvf, vcf] addon: false sourceNote: >- Broadcom, VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 and VMware vSphere Foundation 9.1: Feature Comparison & Upgrade Paths, read 2026-08-28 vendorName: VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service status: current sections: - heading:

What it is

body: | vSphere Kubernetes Service, formerly vSphere with Tanzu, puts Kubernetes into the vSphere stack. Containers run on the platform that is already there and are managed with the same tools. - heading:

Why that is the point

body: | Because the alternative is a second platform. Standing up a separate Kubernetes estate means a second operating model, second monitoring, second set of permissions, and a second team who know it at three in the morning. With vSphere skills the way in here is much shorter. - heading:

What it is for

body: | Two cases, and the second gets overlooked. Development teams need Kubernetes clusters to build and test containerised applications. That is the obvious one. The other: organisations that write no software of their own still cannot avoid it, because third-party software increasingly ships only as a container image. The question stops being whether you run containers and becomes what you run them on. - heading:

What to watch

body: | Kubernetes moves complexity, it does not remove it. Storage classes, networking and access rights want deciding before the first cluster exists, or the first use case decides them for every one after it.status: corpus: 267 services: - {ref: services/virtualization-container, score: 1.00} - {ref: services/engineering, score: 0.39} - {ref: services/linux-container, score: 0.38} - {ref: services/cloud, score: 0.37} posts: - {ref: posts/how-to-build-your-own-homelab-part-2, score: 1.00} - {ref: posts/how-to-authenticate-with-the-vsphere-supervisor-api, score: 0.74} - {ref: posts/vvf-9-0-supervisor-mit-foundation-load-balancer, score: 0.74} - {ref: posts/how-to-vsphere-supervisor-services, score: 0.74} - {ref: posts/tanzu-default-storage-class, score: 0.74} - {ref: posts/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka, score: 0.74} experts: - {ref: experts/marco-mattei, score: 0.62} - {ref: experts/yannick-gerber, score: 0.62} - {ref: experts/louis-kern, score: 0.59} neighbours: - {ref: solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vsphere-mit-tanzu, score: 1.00} - {ref: solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/addon/application-services, score: 0.60} - {ref: solutions/vmware/vsphere-foundation, score: 0.47}

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What it is

", "body": "vSphere Kubernetes Service, formerly vSphere with Tanzu, puts Kubernetes into the vSphere\nstack. Containers run on the platform that is already there and are managed with the same\ntools." }, { "heading": "

Why that is the point

", "body": "Because the alternative is a second platform. Standing up a separate Kubernetes estate\nmeans a second operating model, second monitoring, second set of permissions, and a second\nteam who know it at three in the morning. With vSphere skills the way in here is much\nshorter." }, { "heading": "

What it is for

", "body": "Two cases, and the second gets overlooked.\n\nDevelopment teams need Kubernetes clusters to build and test containerised applications.\nThat is the obvious one.\n\nThe other: organisations that write no software of their own still cannot avoid it, because\nthird-party software increasingly ships only as a container image. The question stops being\nwhether you run containers and becomes what you run them on." }, { "heading": "

What to watch

", "body": "Kubernetes moves complexity, it does not remove it. Storage classes, networking and access\nrights want deciding before the first cluster exists, or the first use case decides them for\nevery one after it." } ], "status": { "corpus": 267, "services": [ { "ref": "services/virtualization-container", "score": "1.00" }, { "ref": "services/engineering", "score": "0.39" }, { "ref": "services/linux-container", "score": "0.38" }, { "ref": "services/cloud", "score": "0.37" } ], "posts": [ { "ref": "posts/how-to-build-your-own-homelab-part-2", "score": "1.00" }, { "ref": "posts/how-to-authenticate-with-the-vsphere-supervisor-api", "score": "0.74" }, { "ref": "posts/vvf-9-0-supervisor-mit-foundation-load-balancer", "score": "0.74" }, { "ref": "posts/how-to-vsphere-supervisor-services", "score": "0.74" }, { "ref": "posts/tanzu-default-storage-class", "score": "0.74" }, { "ref": "posts/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka", "score": "0.74" } ], "experts": [ { "ref": "experts/marco-mattei", "score": "0.62" }, { "ref": "experts/yannick-gerber", "score": "0.62" }, { "ref": "experts/louis-kern", "score": "0.59" } ], "neighbours": [ { "ref": "solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vsphere-mit-tanzu", "score": "1.00" }, { "ref": "solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/addon/application-services", "score": "0.60" }, { "ref": "solutions/vmware/vsphere-foundation", "score": "0.47" } ] }}

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What it is

"body = '''vSphere Kubernetes Service, formerly vSphere with Tanzu, puts Kubernetes into the vSpherestack. Containers run on the platform that is already there and are managed with the sametools.'''[[sections]]heading = "

Why that is the point

"body = '''Because the alternative is a second platform. Standing up a separate Kubernetes estatemeans a second operating model, second monitoring, second set of permissions, and a secondteam who know it at three in the morning. With vSphere skills the way in here is muchshorter.'''[[sections]]heading = "

What it is for

"body = '''Two cases, and the second gets overlooked.Development teams need Kubernetes clusters to build and test containerised applications.That is the obvious one.The other: organisations that write no software of their own still cannot avoid it, becausethird-party software increasingly ships only as a container image. The question stops beingwhether you run containers and becomes what you run them on.'''[[sections]]heading = "

What to watch

"body = '''Kubernetes moves complexity, it does not remove it. Storage classes, networking and accessrights want deciding before the first cluster exists, or the first use case decides them forevery one after it.'''[status]corpus = 267[[status.services]]ref = "services/virtualization-container"score = "1.00"[[status.services]]ref = "services/engineering"score = "0.39"[[status.services]]ref = "services/linux-container"score = "0.38"[[status.services]]ref = "services/cloud"score = "0.37"[[status.posts]]ref = "posts/how-to-build-your-own-homelab-part-2"score = "1.00"[[status.posts]]ref = "posts/how-to-authenticate-with-the-vsphere-supervisor-api"score = "0.74"[[status.posts]]ref = "posts/vvf-9-0-supervisor-mit-foundation-load-balancer"score = "0.74"[[status.posts]]ref = "posts/how-to-vsphere-supervisor-services"score = "0.74"[[status.posts]]ref = "posts/tanzu-default-storage-class"score = "0.74"[[status.posts]]ref = "posts/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka"score = "0.74"[[status.experts]]ref = "experts/marco-mattei"score = "0.62"[[status.experts]]ref = "experts/yannick-gerber"score = "0.62"[[status.experts]]ref = "experts/louis-kern"score = "0.59"[[status.neighbours]]ref = "solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vsphere-mit-tanzu"score = "1.00"[[status.neighbours]]ref = "solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/addon/application-services"score = "0.60"[[status.neighbours]]ref = "solutions/vmware/vsphere-foundation"score = "0.47"

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What it is

</heading> <body>vSphere Kubernetes Service, formerly vSphere with Tanzu, puts Kubernetes into the vSpherestack. Containers run on the platform that is already there and are managed with the sametools. </body> </section> <section> <heading>

Why that is the point

</heading> <body>Because the alternative is a second platform. Standing up a separate Kubernetes estatemeans a second operating model, second monitoring, second set of permissions, and a secondteam who know it at three in the morning. With vSphere skills the way in here is muchshorter. </body> </section> <section> <heading>

What it is for

</heading> <body>Two cases, and the second gets overlooked.Development teams need Kubernetes clusters to build and test containerised applications.That is the obvious one.The other: organisations that write no software of their own still cannot avoid it, becausethird-party software increasingly ships only as a container image. The question stops beingwhether you run containers and becomes what you run them on. </body> </section> <section> <heading>

What to watch

</heading> <body>Kubernetes moves complexity, it does not remove it. Storage classes, networking and accessrights want deciding before the first cluster exists, or the first use case decides them forevery one after it. </body> </section> </sections> <status> <corpus>267</corpus> <services> <item> <ref>services/virtualization-container</ref> <score>1.00</score> </item> <item> <ref>services/engineering</ref> <score>0.39</score> </item> <item> <ref>services/linux-container</ref> <score>0.38</score> </item> <item> <ref>services/cloud</ref> <score>0.37</score> </item> </services> <posts> <item> <ref>posts/how-to-build-your-own-homelab-part-2</ref> <score>1.00</score> </item> <item> <ref>posts/how-to-authenticate-with-the-vsphere-supervisor-api</ref> <score>0.74</score> </item> <item> <ref>posts/vvf-9-0-supervisor-mit-foundation-load-balancer</ref> <score>0.74</score> </item> <item> <ref>posts/how-to-vsphere-supervisor-services</ref> <score>0.74</score> </item> <item> <ref>posts/tanzu-default-storage-class</ref> <score>0.74</score> </item> <item> <ref>posts/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka</ref> <score>0.74</score> </item> </posts> <experts> <item> <ref>experts/marco-mattei</ref> <score>0.62</score> </item> <item> <ref>experts/yannick-gerber</ref> <score>0.62</score> </item> <item> <ref>experts/louis-kern</ref> <score>0.59</score> </item> </experts> <neighbours> <item> <ref>solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/vsphere-mit-tanzu</ref> <score>1.00</score> </item> <item> <ref>solutions/vmware/vmware-cloud-foundation/addon/application-services</ref> <score>0.60</score> </item> <item> <ref>solutions/vmware/vsphere-foundation</ref> <score>0.47</score> </item> </neighbours> </status></manifest>

What it is

Why that is the point

What it is for

What to watch

What it is

Why that is the point

What it is for

What to watch

What it is

Why that is the point

What it is for

What to watch

What it is

Why that is the point

What it is for

What to watch

vSphere Kubernetes Service VKS

What it is

Why that is the point

What it is for

What to watch

Posts about it

Build your own Homelab – Part 2

Authenticate with the vSphere Supervisor API

VVF 9.0 Supervisor with the Foundation Load Balancer

vSphere Supervisor Services

Tanzu default storage class

Certified Kubernetes Administrator – CKA

Who works with it

Marco Mattei

Yannick Gerber

Louis Kern