Crossplane vs. Sveltos: A Kubernetes API Extension Comparison
Crossplane vs. Sveltos: A Kubernetes API Extension Comparison Crossplane and Sveltos both extend the Kubernetes API using Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) to manage resources declaratively. However, they target different domains: Crossplane focuses on infrastructure provisioning (e.g., databases, VMs, storage) by enabling Kubernetes-native management of cloud resources across providers. Sveltos focuses on Kubernetes add-on and application management by enabling declarative deployment and lifecycle management of add-ons across multiple clusters. Key Differences Feature Crossplane Sveltos Purpose Manages cloud infrastructure (e.g., databases, storage, compute) Manages Kubernetes add-ons and applications across clusters API Extension Extends Kubernetes API to provision cloud resources using CRDs Extends Kubernetes API to deploy and manage add-ons using CRDs Multi-Cluster Works with multiple cloud providers but does not directly handle multi-cluster add-on deployment Specifically designed for multi-cluster add-on and application deployment Lifecycle Management Manages cloud resource lifecycle (e.g., creating, updating, deleting cloud resources) Automates deployment, updates, and pruning of Kubernetes add-ons Declarative Model Uses CRDs to define and manage cloud resources declaratively Uses CRDs to define and manage add-on policies declaratively Primary Use Case Kubernetes-native Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Kubernetes-native add-on/application management Summary If you need Kubernetes-native infrastructure provisioning, Crossplane is the right tool. If you need multi-cluster Kubernetes add-on and application management, Sveltos is the better choice.

Crossplane vs. Sveltos: A Kubernetes API Extension Comparison
Crossplane and Sveltos both extend the Kubernetes API using Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) to manage resources declaratively. However, they target different domains:
- Crossplane focuses on infrastructure provisioning (e.g., databases, VMs, storage) by enabling Kubernetes-native management of cloud resources across providers.
- Sveltos focuses on Kubernetes add-on and application management by enabling declarative deployment and lifecycle management of add-ons across multiple clusters.
Key Differences
Feature | Crossplane | Sveltos |
---|---|---|
Purpose | Manages cloud infrastructure (e.g., databases, storage, compute) | Manages Kubernetes add-ons and applications across clusters |
API Extension | Extends Kubernetes API to provision cloud resources using CRDs | Extends Kubernetes API to deploy and manage add-ons using CRDs |
Multi-Cluster | Works with multiple cloud providers but does not directly handle multi-cluster add-on deployment | Specifically designed for multi-cluster add-on and application deployment |
Lifecycle Management | Manages cloud resource lifecycle (e.g., creating, updating, deleting cloud resources) | Automates deployment, updates, and pruning of Kubernetes add-ons |
Declarative Model | Uses CRDs to define and manage cloud resources declaratively | Uses CRDs to define and manage add-on policies declaratively |
Primary Use Case | Kubernetes-native Infrastructure as Code (IaC) | Kubernetes-native add-on/application management |
Summary
- If you need Kubernetes-native infrastructure provisioning, Crossplane is the right tool.
- If you need multi-cluster Kubernetes add-on and application management, Sveltos is the better choice.