---
reviewers:
- dcbw
- freehan
- thockin
title: Network Plugins
content_type: concept
weight: 10
---


<!-- overview -->

Kubernetes {{< skew currentVersion >}} supports [Container Network Interface](https://github.com/containernetworking/cni)
(CNI) plugins for cluster networking. You must use a CNI plugin that is compatible with your cluster and that suits your needs. Different plugins are available (both open- and closed- source) in the wider Kubernetes ecosystem.

You must use a CNI plugin that is compatible with the 
[v0.4.0](https://github.com/containernetworking/cni/blob/spec-v0.4.0/SPEC.md) or later
releases of the CNI specification. The Kubernetes project recommends using a plugin that is
compatible with the [v1.0.0](https://github.com/containernetworking/cni/blob/spec-v1.0.0/SPEC.md)
CNI specification (plugins can be compatible with multiple spec versions).

<!-- body -->

## Installation

A CNI plugin is required to implement the [Kubernetes network model](/docs/concepts/services-networking/#the-kubernetes-network-model). The CRI manages its own CNI plugins. There are two Kubelet command line parameters to keep in mind when using plugins:

* `cni-bin-dir`: Kubelet probes this directory for plugins on startup
* `network-plugin`: The network plugin to use from `cni-bin-dir`.  It must match the name reported by a plugin probed from the plugin directory.  For CNI plugins, this is `cni`.

## Network Plugin Requirements

Besides providing the [`NetworkPlugin` interface](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/tree/{{< param "fullversion" >}}/pkg/kubelet/dockershim/network/plugins.go) to configure and clean up pod networking, the plugin may also need specific support for kube-proxy.  The iptables proxy obviously depends on iptables, and the plugin may need to ensure that container traffic is made available to iptables.  For example, if the plugin connects containers to a Linux bridge, the plugin must set the `net/bridge/bridge-nf-call-iptables` sysctl to `1` to ensure that the iptables proxy functions correctly.  If the plugin does not use a Linux bridge (but instead something like Open vSwitch or some other mechanism) it should ensure container traffic is appropriately routed for the proxy.

By default if no kubelet network plugin is specified, the `noop` plugin is used, which sets `net/bridge/bridge-nf-call-iptables=1` to ensure simple configurations (like Docker with a bridge) work correctly with the iptables proxy.

### CNI

The CNI plugin is selected by passing Kubelet the `--network-plugin=cni` command-line option.  Kubelet reads a file from `--cni-conf-dir` (default `/etc/cni/net.d`) and uses the CNI configuration from that file to set up each pod's network.  The CNI configuration file must match the [CNI specification](https://github.com/containernetworking/cni/blob/master/SPEC.md#network-configuration), and any required CNI plugins referenced by the configuration must be present in `--cni-bin-dir` (default `/opt/cni/bin`).

If there are multiple CNI configuration files in the directory, the kubelet uses the configuration file that comes first by name in lexicographic order.

In addition to the CNI plugin specified by the configuration file, Kubernetes requires the standard CNI [`lo`](https://github.com/containernetworking/plugins/blob/master/plugins/main/loopback/loopback.go) plugin, at minimum version 0.2.0

#### Support hostPort

The CNI networking plugin supports `hostPort`. You can use the official [portmap](https://github.com/containernetworking/plugins/tree/master/plugins/meta/portmap)
plugin offered by the CNI plugin team or use your own plugin with portMapping functionality.

If you want to enable `hostPort` support, you must specify `portMappings capability` in your `cni-conf-dir`.
For example:

```json
{
  "name": "k8s-pod-network",
  "cniVersion": "0.3.0",
  "plugins": [
    {
      "type": "calico",
      "log_level": "info",
      "datastore_type": "kubernetes",
      "nodename": "127.0.0.1",
      "ipam": {
        "type": "host-local",
        "subnet": "usePodCidr"
      },
      "policy": {
        "type": "k8s"
      },
      "kubernetes": {
        "kubeconfig": "/etc/cni/net.d/calico-kubeconfig"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "portmap",
      "capabilities": {"portMappings": true}
    }
  ]
}
```

#### Support traffic shaping

**Experimental Feature**

The CNI networking plugin also supports pod ingress and egress traffic shaping. You can use the official [bandwidth](https://github.com/containernetworking/plugins/tree/master/plugins/meta/bandwidth)
plugin offered by the CNI plugin team or use your own plugin with bandwidth control functionality.

If you want to enable traffic shaping support, you must add the `bandwidth` plugin to your CNI configuration file
(default `/etc/cni/net.d`) and ensure that the binary is included in your CNI bin dir (default `/opt/cni/bin`).

```json
{
  "name": "k8s-pod-network",
  "cniVersion": "0.3.0",
  "plugins": [
    {
      "type": "calico",
      "log_level": "info",
      "datastore_type": "kubernetes",
      "nodename": "127.0.0.1",
      "ipam": {
        "type": "host-local",
        "subnet": "usePodCidr"
      },
      "policy": {
        "type": "k8s"
      },
      "kubernetes": {
        "kubeconfig": "/etc/cni/net.d/calico-kubeconfig"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "bandwidth",
      "capabilities": {"bandwidth": true}
    }
  ]
}
```

Now you can add the `kubernetes.io/ingress-bandwidth` and `kubernetes.io/egress-bandwidth` annotations to your pod.
For example:

```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress-bandwidth: 1M
    kubernetes.io/egress-bandwidth: 1M
...
```

## Usage Summary

* `--network-plugin=cni` specifies that we use the `cni` network plugin with actual CNI plugin binaries located in `--cni-bin-dir` (default `/opt/cni/bin`) and CNI plugin configuration located in `--cni-conf-dir` (default `/etc/cni/net.d`).

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