Key Differentiators
Why Cloud Orbiter?
Cloud Orbiter is purpose-built to solve the operational complexity of managing Kubernetes at scale across diverse environments. Here is what sets it apart.
Universal Application Control Plane
Most Kubernetes management tools are designed for a single environment — either cloud-native or on-premise. Cloud Orbiter manages all cluster types from one dashboard:
- Public cloud managed services: AWS EKS, Azure AKS, Google GKE
- On-premise and bare metal clusters
- Edge and remote site clusters
- Brownfield import of any existing Kubernetes distribution (VMware, OpenShift, EKS-Anywhere, and more)
- Coredge Kubernetes Platform (CKP) clusters
No other tool needed. No context switching. One control plane for every cluster.
Integrated and Curated Platform
Cloud Orbiter is not a collection of loosely connected tools — it is an opinionated, integrated platform where every component is tested together:
- Observability is built in, not bolted on
- Backup (Velero) is a first-class feature, not an afterthought
- Identity (Keycloak + RBAC) is embedded, not external
- GitOps is native, not a plugin
The result is a platform where features work together — with consistent UI, unified RBAC, and predictable behavior across all capabilities.
Zero-Trust Security by Design
Security is not a configuration layer — it is woven into the platform architecture:
- Every API call is authenticated and authorized via Keycloak + RBAC
- No action is allowed without an explicit role grant
- Cluster connections use outbound-only agents — target clusters never expose inbound endpoints
- Complete audit logs capture every user action with identity, IP, timestamp, and endpoint
- Session management prevents credential abuse with concurrent session limits and forced logout
Outbound-Agent Connectivity Model
Traditional Kubernetes management tools require inbound connectivity to target clusters — meaning firewall rules, VPN tunnels, or public IP exposure. Cloud Orbiter's outbound agent model eliminates this requirement:
- The Orbiter Agent initiates an outbound connection from the target cluster to the Cloud Orbiter control plane
- No inbound firewall rules are needed on the target cluster
- Works seamlessly across private data centres, air-gapped environments, and edge sites
- All Kubernetes API and CLI access is proxied through the control plane for centralized logging
Multi-Tenant Isolation
Cloud Orbiter is built for multi-tenant deployments from day one. Each organization:
- Gets a fully isolated tenant environment
- Has its own identity realm with separate users, groups, and roles
- Cannot access or see resources belonging to other tenants
- Can define its own SSO integration, password policy, and session management
This makes Cloud Orbiter suitable for cloud service providers offering Kubernetes-as-a-Service to multiple customers on shared infrastructure.
GitOps-Native Continuous Delivery
Cloud Orbiter integrates Git as the source of truth for application deployment:
- Define application state in a Git repository
- Cloud Orbiter automatically reconciles cluster state to match the Git-defined target
- Track all changes, rollbacks, and updates with version control
- Deploy updates across multiple clusters simultaneously from a single Git commit
Automated Day 2 Operations
Cluster creation is only the beginning. Cloud Orbiter automates the ongoing management work that consumes most operational time:
| Operation | Cloud Orbiter Capability |
|---|---|
| Cluster Upgrades | Automated K8s version upgrades with zero-downtime |
| Scaling | Add or remove nodes from a centralized interface |
| Backup & Restore | Scheduled namespace backup with S3-compatible storage |
| Monitoring | Real-time CPU, memory, node, and pod metrics with alerting |
| Security | RBAC enforcement, vulnerability scanning, access log analysis |
| Application Updates | GitOps-driven continuous delivery across all clusters |
Flexible and Extensible
Cloud Orbiter adapts to existing enterprise toolchains:
- Integrate with any OpenID Connect identity provider — not just the three pre-built integrations
- Use REST APIs and CLI for automation and integration with custom workflows
- Add-ons extend cluster capabilities without custom Helm deployments or YAML editing
- Location tagging enables geo-aware cluster placement for latency-sensitive workloads