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Power and Performance

# Clear Linux* OS is now a certified Kubernetes* distribution

Michael Vincerra

08 Jan, 2020

Clear Linux OS is pleased to announce that our cloud-native-basic bundle is now certified conformant with Kubernetes v1.16 Clear Linux OS now joins the many Kubernetes Conformance partners.

Why certify Clear Linux OS?

The Clear Linux* project has proven experience addressing the issue of distributing performant, secure, and fast-moving software. Whether you’re looking for the best host for containers or building containerized applications, Clear Linux OS offers extreme versatility, scalability, and hardened security.

So what makes Clear Linux OS an optimal platform for hosting containers?

- Manageability
  In contrast to other Linux distros, Clear Linux OS is lean and can host multiple containers without requiring many unnecessary packages. Default installation is minimal, so there’s no need to strip the OS of extra services or software. Check out the recommended system requirements.

- Security
  Clear Linux OS employs the principle of lightweight installation, reducing risk and addressing a basic security concern: “The more software you have installed, the larger the attack surface.” Because Clear Linux OS offers at least two releases per week, your version of Clear Linux OS will always carry the latest updates from the Linux kernel, as well as our developers’ security fixes.

- Software updates
  Clear Linux OS allows you to run the exact same software for all container hosts in a cluster. Clear Linux OS manages software using swupd. This means administrators need only check a single version number to track all software on the system.

- Performance
  With a lightning-fast boot time, Clear Linux OS containers can be provisioned on-demand. Faster performance also means more containers per host, allowing for cost savings. Clear Linux OS is one of the most performance-driven Linux distros for running workloads in the cloud. Clear Linux OS ranks faster on several benchmarks when tested on the second generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable family processor family, Cascade Lake 8280.

Managed by The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF), Kubernetes provides a "portable, extensible, open-source platform for managing containerized workloads and services.” One of the fastest-growing open source projects, Kubernetes grants certification to Conformance Partners to ensure that a vendor’s installation fully supports the Kubernetes API providing interoperability from one Kubernetes installation to the next.

We are certifying that the Clear Linux OS cloud-native-basic bundle installation of Kubernetes v1.16 meets the certification requirements. Not only does this certification mean this bundle is proven conformant and easy to install, it also ensures that it contains the latest and greatest improvements from the community.

This provides you with the ability to quickly setup and configure a single or multi-node Kubernetes cluster running on top of Clear Linux OS. The cloud-native-basic bundle supports multiple container runtimes (cri-o, containerd*, Kata Containers) and multiple CNI plugins (Canal, Flannel, Cilium). In addition we provide examples to expand on the abilities of Kubernetes demonstrating Firecracker*, Kata Containers, Ingres, Prometheus*, with more on the way. Conformance testing ensures the product will remain compliant as both Clear Linux OS and Kubernetes continue to grow.

Installing Kubernetes on a Clear Linux node is simple. To get started, you need only add one bundle: cloud-native-basic.

Learn more about Kubernetes on Clear Linux OS:

- How to install, configure, and start the Kubernetes container orchestration system on Clear Linux OS using cri+o and kata-runtime

- Kubernetes Best Practices

- Cloud Native Setup: Kubernetes on Clear Linux OS examples

- Clear Linux OS cloud-native-basic bundle